One Piece: World Seeker
by XFangHeartX
Summary: Based off the newest video game. Summary inside. Read and review, and no flames or hate, please.
1. Prologue

One Piece: World Seeker

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One Piece © Oda

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Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Jupiter, Lucky, and Bella © Me

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Summary- The Straw Hats arrive at an island called Jail Island in search of a rumored treasure only to find that they were lured into a trap and they are soon scattered throughout the island. After falling from the Sky Prison, Luffy meets up with a young woman named Jeanne, who reveals to him that the island was once torn apart by war and now it is being run by the Marines...along with the warden of the prison. As the crew explores the island, they learn about the island's history while making new friends and new enemies along the way.

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**Prologue**

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Footsteps through the dark hallways as they walked past the cells...his wrists bound by seastone cuffs. Two Marine soldiers walked behind him, holding rifles in their hands as they walked behind him, pointing them at his head if he happened to try any funny business. However, they were confident that he wouldn't attempt anything...for now.

"Is that him?" asked one of the prisoners, watching from the cells. "The fresh fish?"

"Yeah," answered his cellmate. "That's one of the pirates from the Worst Generation. You know, the ones causing all the commotion these days."

"Wait...you mean Straw Hat Luffy?!" asked a third prisoner.

That's right...it seemed that the impossible had finally happened: Monkey D. Luffy, the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates...has been captured by the Marines.

XXX

**THUD!** Two Marine soldiers collapsed on the floor at the feet of their attacker.

"Well?" Brook asked. "How does it look, Nami?"

"Hmm..." Nami hummed as she stood before the door of a huge vault. "I could have this baby in five...no..._three_ minutes, tops."

_'Hopefully, Luffy can get away safely,'_ she added, mentally before she held up a Mini Transponder Snail.

"Robin?" she asked. "How's it going with you and Chopper?"

XXX

Two other Marine soldiers sat in the monitoring room, chuckling to themselves as they watched Luffy being taken down the hallway to the outside.

"Excuse me!" a voice called from behind them, causing them to glance back and see Tony-Tony Chopper...who immediately grew into his Heavy Point form, causing them to shriek in fright before they were mercilessly pummeled by the human-reindeer. As Chopper took care of them, Nico Robin walked up to a set of keys and took one of them off the wall.

"Nami, this is Robin," she said as she held up her Mini Transponder Snail. "I just got the key."

"We're all set over here!" Chopper added as he climbed up onto Robin's shoulder.

**"Good,"** said Nami. **"We should be done here, soon, too."**

XXX

Luffy stopped in front of a pair of gigantic double doors, which soon opened up to reveal the sunlight, which caused him to momentarily screw his eyes shut as the light hit his face...but then he looked up and gave his usual toothy grin.

"Shishishishishi!" he laughed as he stood before two rows of soldiers...and it was soon revealed that he was standing on the roof a gigantic building...that was flying in the sky!

"Well, well," a voice spoke as Luffy stepped forward in front of two swords, "if it isn't the infamous 'Straw Hat' Luffy...welcome to Jail island. Permit me to introduce myself: I am Isaac, the warden."

Luffy looked up to see a man that had to be in his early 30s, sitting in a chair. He had wild, unruly blue hair with a streak of dirty blonde in it and he wore a pair of sunglasses over his eyes, as well as a black shirt that was buttoned over a green undershirt, black pants, and an orange tie around his neck, plus what looked like a tattered lab coat and a dark blue coat with dark brown fur trim that was draped over his shoulders like a cape. His nose was a bit long, but not quite as long as Usopp's, and he wore what looked like armor that went all the way up to his neck and his hands. It seemed that even the large scar that went down his face was metallic.

"So, you're the boss of this place, right?" asked Luffy as he kneeled down in front of the swords. "This Sky Prison you made sure is something!"

As Luffy was being prepped for his execution, Blizzard sighed as he peeked around the corner, preparing to jump out and rescue him at just the right moment.

_'That moron,'_ the wolf-dog thought. _'I wish he'd take this crap seriously.'_

XXX

"No way!"

Nami and Brook gaped at the empty vault.

"Oh, dear," Brook said. "This doesn't look good at all!"

"Guys!" Nami called as she held up the Mini Transponder Snail. "We gotta get outta here!" She then turned and ran with Brook following after her. "There was no treasure! This whole thing is a trap!"

XXX

"Sure thing, Nami," said one of the Marine soldiers...who was smoking a cigarette.

"Hmph!" another scoffed...holding three swords. "Bring it on."

"Hey! You there!"

The two soldiers turned to see many others running toward them, armed to the teeth with guns and sabers, but then, they smirked as they tore off their disguises, revealing none other than Roronoa Zoro and Sanji...who refused to go by the "Vinsmoke" name. Soon, the Straw Hat first mate was cutting down soldiers left and light while the cook kicked them away with his blazing legs. In the confusion, the two Marine soldiers that stood by Luffy decided to use this chance to attempt to execute him, now..."attempt" being the keyword. What they didn't account for was a white blur to come charging in and bite their necks in the blink of an eye.

Blizzard growled as he licked his lips, which were dripping with blood.

"Perfect timing, you guys!" Luffy called out to the remaining members of the Monster Quartet.

_"Well, sure,"_ said Blizzard. _"Any later, and your head would go rolling."_

"For a Sky Prison," said Zoro, "this place isn't too heavily guarded. Luffy should make out fine on his own." With that, he jumped over the edge.

"Hey, wait!" Sanji called after him, but he sighed once Zoro was out of sight. "Dammit...he's as impatient as ever."

_"Luffy, we're getting outta here!"_ Blizzard called. _"We'll meet up later, got it?"_

"Yeah!" Luffy answered as a familiar hand appeared with the key, which unlocked his cuffs, causing him to grin as he stood up.

"You're not going anywhere!" shouted one of the soldiers as they charged at Luffy, who quickly made short work of them with his stretching punches, then mowed them down with a Gum-Gum Whip before he looked toward the horizon. "The others should be on their way down, soon...guess it's time for me to split!"

XXX

Down below, out at sea, the _Thousand Sunny_ was currently under siege.

Usopp yelped as he narrowly dodged the rapid fire of a machine gun. However, it was not pirates that were firing at him...but some humanoid machines that used jets on their ankles to fly.

"Damn you!" Usopp cursed as he held up the Black Kabuto and shot an Atlas Comet at them, but the robots flew out of his range. "Crap! What the hell are these things?!"

"Here come more of them!" shouted Trafalgar D. Water Law while Jupiter stood beside him, pointing at several more robots. Jupiter panted as he tried to get up, but then he collapsed on the deck, his right hind leg bleeding from three small holes in his thigh. It seemed that the owl-dog had attempted to fight off the robots in an effort to protect his master...but the result only ended up getting him bullet-riddled.

"Let me handle these guys," said Franky as he held up his arms, which began to grow a bright light. "Franky...RADICAL BEAM!"

He soon fired the beam at the robots, which immediately flew out of the way.

"Are you kidding me?!" Franky questioned.

"These things are too fast!" Usopp shouted.

"No...they're too smart," Law added while Jupiter grunted in pain.

At that moment, the door to the Aquarium Bar opened, slightly, revealing Monkey D. Aika and her puppy, Kumi.

"Is it safe to come out, now?" Aika asked.

_"LOOK OUT!"_ Kumi cried as she pointed at one of the robots, which immediately attempted to open fire at the two, but the girls shrieked as they closed the door.

"Never mind!" Aika shouted.

XXX

Up at the Sky Prison, Luffy had just finished off all the soldiers and was about to make his exit.

"There's no need to rush, now is there?" asked Isaac as he stood up from his chair, a cold, calculating glare in his eyes as he put on what looked like blue and gold armor on his hands and feet. "You did just get here, after all. Why not stay a while?"

**NYOOM!** A familiar beam of light flashed behind the warden.

"What the-?!" Luffy questioned. "That was Franky's-"

Just then, Isaac fired his metal fist at Luffy, who attempted to block it, but then, he gasped as the hand grabbed his throat...and immediately, his body fell limp.

"Ah!" Luffy cried. "W...what is this...?! Sea...stone...?!"

"You really should be more careful, Straw Hat Luffy," said Isaac, smugly as he approached Luffy while the fist floated above the floor, keeping the rubber-man suspended. "I wouldn't be too worried about your friends, if I were you...I'll make sure I'll finish you all off, together." He then reconnected the rocket fist with his own arm, then kicked Luffy in the stomach, sending him tumbling along the floor, but then Luffy managed to catch himself.

"Bastard!" he cursed, only to find that Isaac wasn't in front of him, anymore. "W-what the...where'd he go?!"

"You disappoint me, Straw Hat Luffy...in every measure."

Luffy turned around but failed to dodge or block a kick from Isaac that sent him flying.

"Power..."

**BAM!** Isaac leaped over Luffy and punched him in the stomach, again...and yet, he managed to rebound.

"You're pretty good, huh?!" Luffy questioned as he attempted to punch Isaac, who grabbed his wrist and sent him flying into the air.

"Speed..."

Isaac soon used the jets in his boots to fly toward Luffy, dodging his fast punches as he rose, then bashed both fists into him.

"Stamina..."

**POW!** He flew down, grabbed Luffy by the neck, again, and then pinned him against the stairs that led to his chair.

"AGH!" Luffy gagged as he struggled to get free. "Ugh...aah...!"

"The World Government must be doing awfully well for itself to offer 500 million Berries for a third-rate pirate like you," said Isaac.

"Warden Isaac!"

Isaac turned to see a Marine soldier run up and salute him.

"Sir!" he exclaimed. "That woman is demanding to see you, again!"

"...Hmph," Isaac scoffed, but then his sunglasses flashed before he looked down, only for Luffy to kick him away. "Rrgh!"

"Heh!" Luffy smirked as he stood up. "Now who's not being more careful?"

Isaac only glared coldly at Luffy as the wind blew.

"Well...see ya!" Luffy exclaimed as he jumped over the edge, doing a somersault before he took a diving position, descending toward an island below. "WHOOOOOO-HOOOOOO!"

After a while into his descent, Luffy began to realize that he was in a bit of a predicament.

"Hmm..." Luffy hummed as he took a cross-legged sitting position whilst in mid-fall. "At this rate, I'm gonna fall right into the drink...well! Only one thing to do! Gum-Gum BALLOON!"

Taking a big breath of air, Luffy inflated his stomach to massive size, thus slowing his fall...but then, out of nowhere, something struck him right in his back, causing him to yell in pain as he deflated and plummeted to the sea.

XXX

At the Sky Prison...Isaac's rocket fist connected with his hand, again.

"Shall we give pursuit, sir?" asked the Marine soldier behind him.

"Don't bother," Isaac answered. "This entire island is under my control." He then turned and walked away while the soldier saluted him. "Straw Hat Luffy...even if you managed to survive, I've got plenty of work here for you, here in my prison." He then gave a dark chuckle.

XXX

Meanwhile, down at a sandy beach...

"GAH!" Luffy gasped as he sat up and looked around. "Ugh...jeez...where am I?"

"Oh! You're finally awake!" a voice exclaimed.

"Ow-ow-ow!" Luffy cried as he put a hand to his back. "What the hell hit me?"

"Are you okay? You fell all the way from the Sky Prison."

Luffy looked up to see a slim young woman with yellow-green neck-length hair, a yellow blouse with a green bow at the neckline, a pair of turquoise Daisy Dukes, brown boots with lots of buckles, and an orange cape with red and white plaid stripes.

Behind her was a little boy with raggedy-looking clothes and a pot over his head as if he were using it for a helmet.

"Are you the one who saved me?" Luffy asked the woman as he stood up.

"Yes, that's right," the woman answered with a warm, friendly smile. "My name is Jeanne. What's yours?"

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

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I wanted to do this for a while, but I had to wait on it. Updating this might not be very frequent, though.

Review, please!


	2. Ch 1- Finding Chopper

**Ch. 1- Finding Chopper**

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One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Jupiter, Lucky, and Bella © Me

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"The name's Luffy," Luffy said as he dusted off the sand from his pants. "Thanks a lot for saving me, Jeanne. I guess I fell into the sea, huh?"

"Hey, Jeanne!" shouted the little boy next to her. "Why'd you have to go and save that guy?! He fell out of the Sky Island, didn't he?! He must be a vicious pirate or something even worse than that!"

"Well, you're close, little guy," Luffy confirmed. "I am a pirate."

"See?!" the boy questioned, worriedly. "I knew it!"

"A pirate, he may be, Donny," Jeanne began, "but I can't just leave a drowning person to die!"

"But Jeanne!" cried the boy, known as Donny. "What if he's trying to steal the stones?!"

"Stones?" Luffy asked as he crossed his arms and tilted his head. "What are you guys talkin' about?"

"You...you don't know about the stones?" Jeanne asked with mild surprise.

"What stones?" Luffy repeated. "I don't get it."

"Uhh...never mind, forget it," Jeanne said. "Sorry for assuming things. So...Mr. Luffy, is it? Why did you come to this island in the first place?" She then took on a serious expression. "If you really are a pirate, I won't hesitate to have you leave this island if you mean us any harm."

"I didn't even mean to come here," Luffy answered. "I just happened to land here, that's all." He then looked to Donny. "Hey, you wouldn't have happened to have seen my crew, have you? We got separated."

"Well, that depends, I guess," said Donny. "Who are they?"

"Let's see," Luffy muttered as he put a hand to his chin in thought. "There's Zoro, Nami, and Usopp...Sanji...Aika and Kumi...Blizzard...Chopper-"

"Wait," Jeanne interrupted. "Did you say Chopper? Are you a friend of his?"

"You know him?!" Luffy asked, excitedly. "Where is he?!"

"He's in Sapphire Town," Jeanne replied. "He's been treating the injured there."

"Sapphire Town, huh?" Luffy asked. "I think I'll pay it a visit!" He paused. "Umm...you know where it is, by any chance?"

Jeanne chuckled before she headed up a nearby path over a hill.

"Follow me," she said. "I'll take you there, myself."

"Thanks!" Luffy said. "Umm...by the way, is there food where we're going?"

"Sure, I'll give you some food when we get there," Jeanne said as she walked alongside him.

"Oh, good, because I am STARVED," Luffy said as he rubbed his stomach.

"Wait for me, Jeanne!" Donny called as he followed after the pair.

As they walked, Jeanne glanced over at Luffy, who had that friendly smile on his face. For some reason, looking at him smile like that made her feel surprisingly calm.

_'He doesn't look like your typical pirate,'_ she thought. _'He seems pretty ordinary to me.'_

Suddenly, as she looked forward, she gasped before she grabbed Luffy and Donny and pulled them aside, hiding behind a boulder.

"Hey, what gives?!" Luffy questioned, only for Jeanne to promptly shush him.

"There's a Marine over there...!" Jeanne whispered as she pointed around the corner, prompting Luffy to look and see that there was a lone Marine soldier, standing there with his back turned.

"Damn," Luffy cursed, quietly. "I guess that robot guy sent them to come looking for my crew and me." He then looked to Jeanne and Donny. "You two hang back here. I got this." With that, he walked out from his hiding spot, then put his index fingers in his mouth and let out a sharp whistle, causing the Marine to turn and face him. "Hey, flatfoot! Lookin' for me?!"

"What the-?!" the Marine questioned. "Straw Hat Luffy?!"

"What are you doing?!" Jeanne asked in shock.

"Oh, no!" Donny cried as the Marine charged with his cutlass in hand...but Luffy smirked as he charged right back, and then he stretched his arm way back behind him, causing Jeanne and Donny to gape in shock.

"Gum-Gum...PISTOL!" Luffy yelled as he slammed his fist into the Marine's stomach, causing him to scream in pain as he was sent tumbling through the grassy field.

"J...Jeanne...!" Donny stammered. "D-did you see that?!"

"His arm stretched!" Jeanne exclaimed before she and Donny came out of hiding. "Luffy...did you, by any chance, eat a Devil Fruit?"

"Sure did! I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit!" Luffy grinned as he hooked a finger in his mouth and stretched his cheek. "I'm a rubberman!"

"Whoa...that's...so cool!" Donny exclaimed with starry eyes.

_'Okay, maybe he's not so ordinary,'_ thought Jeanne.

**Grroooooooowwwlll~!** Luffy's stomach rumbled, letting its demands be known.

"Aww, I know, I know," Luffy said as he gave his belly a reassuring pat. "Food's coming, I promise."

_'Definitely not ordinary,'_ thought Jeanne.

XXX

"Are we almost there~?" Luffy asked in a whiny tone while Jeanne and Donny walked ahead of him.

"Just a little farther, now," Jeanne answered as they walked along the path through the grassy knolls.

"I hope so," Luffy said. "I'm so hungry, I might just eat my own arms!"

"Uh-oh," Donny said as he pointed toward a bridge, where Marines had set up a lookout checkpoint.

"Damn..." Jeanne cursed. "I forgot about that."

"Hmm...looks like three of 'em," Luffy said as he took a good look, then cracked his knuckles as he walked toward the checkpoint. "No problem. I'll handle these guys."

Jeanne, now realizing what Luffy was capable of, wisely hid behind a tree with Donny. No sooner had she done so, there were shouts and gunfire...but then there was the sound of fists landing, followed by grunts of pain, and there was even a loud splash.

"Jeanne! Donny!" Luffy called. "It's all right, now!"

Jeanne and Donny soon came out of hiding, where they found Luffy, dusting his hands off while two Marine gunmen were lying around him. The third was floating in the riverbank, unconscious.

"Man, what a bunch of wimps," Luffy said.

"You're really strong, aren't you, Luffy?" Jeanne asked.

"You bet I am!" Luffy said as he flexed his arm. "Otherwise, I wouldn't even be out on these seas!" He then sighed as he slumped his shoulders. "But seriously, I _really_ gotta eat something! I can feel my tummy caving in!"

Jeanne giggled before she pointed forward, where Luffy could see rooftops peeking over the horizon.

"Sapphire Town is just up ahead," she told him.

"Great!" Luffy exclaimed as he ran off.

"W-wait! Wait up!" cried Jeanne as she followed him.

"Food for me, food for me!" Luffy exclaimed as he kept running, but then...

"Hey! Stop right there!"

"Huh?" Luffy asked as he braked to a halt and saw a young man standing at the town's entrance. He looked to be about his age, with short blonde hair, a scruffy beard, and wearing a brown cap on his head. He had a beige scarf, a brown shirt, brown trousers, and for some reason, he was holding a machine gun. "Who are you?"

"The name's Gordon," said the young man as he aimed the machine gun, although it looked a bit heavy for him. "Who are you? What are you doing in our town?!"

"What do you want?" Luffy asked as he scowled at him. "You lookin' for a fight?"

"Wait! Hold it!" Jeanne cried as she ran up. "Gordon, put down the gun, please."

"J-Jeanne?" Gordon asked.

"It's okay," Jeanne reassured. "This guy is a friend of Chopper's."

"Huh?" Gordon muttered before he glanced at Luffy. "This guy?"

"Yeah!" Donny agreed as he came up, as well. "He even clobbered a few Marines on the way here!"

"He did?" asked Gordon. "Well, if that's the case, I guess he's trustworthy. I thought he was with those guys who attacked us the other day. What a relief, am I right, Jeanne? Heheheh!" He then noticed Jeanne's stern glare. "Uhh...what's with the look?"

"Gordon?" Jeanne asked as she eyed his machine gun. "Where did you get that?"

"What, this?" Gordon asked as he held up the firearm. "Well, I...umm...err..."

"I thought that we didn't have the money to buy such things!" Jeanne snapped.

"Jeez, why are you gettin' on me like that?" asked Gordon in annoyance. "I just have it for self-defense, that's all!"

Jeanne sighed before she glanced down at Donny. "Donny, you go home. Your dad's probably looking for you by now."

"Right," Donny nodded before he ran off. "See ya, Jeanne."

"Gordon, what did I tell you about carrying around something so dangerous?" asked Jeanne. "Especially when there are kids around! Do you even know how to use it?"

"Well, I can't take it back, now," Gordon answered.

"Jeez..." Jeanne muttered before she looked to Luffy, who blinked at her. "Sorry about that, Luffy. Everybody's kind of on edge because of all the recent pirate attacks on the island."

"Pirate attacks?" Luffy repeated.

"Yeah," Gordon answered. "Lately, a whole pack of pirates have been cropping up around the island. They seem to be looking around for something or other. The Marines are going about, making arrests, but they haven't done a thing to help those who were injured in the attacks!"

"Chopper happened to come here and he helped us," Jeanne said. "He's an amazing doctor!"

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Thanks. That's why he's on my crew! Well, that and he's a talking reindeer, but still..."

"Of course," Jeanne started with a bit of a melancholy expression, "as the leader, I should have been the one to take care of it."

"No offense, Jeanne," said Gordon, "but you do have a ways to go before you fill your mom's shoes."

"You're right," Jeanne agreed as she smiled at him. "I have to do better so that I can be able to bring everyone together, just like she did!"

"See? That's the spirit!" Gordon exclaimed.

**Gluuuuuurrrgle!**

"Whoa, what was that?!" Gordon questioned in shock.

"Ugggh..." Luffy groaned as he put his arms around his stomach. "Food, now, please~!"

"Oh, right," Jeanne said in recollection. "Gordon, why don't you go on ahead and I'll take Luffy to get some food?"

"Can do!" Gordon replied as he headed into town.

"Sorry about that Luffy," said Jeanne. "Come on. Let's get something for you to eat."

"Uh-huh," Luffy nodded. "My tummy would sure appreciate it."

Jeanne giggled as she soon led Luffy into town, which wasn't really that big. A few buildings and houses here and there, but nothing too fancy except for the huge church in the heart of it all. They could see a few people walking about the cobblestone streets, chatting and doing chores to keep busy...but Luffy couldn't really focus on that. Right now, all he could focus on was filling his empty belly, which was still intent on making its demands for food be heard.

As Jeanne and Luffy neared the plaza, there was a loud bark, causing the former to look up and see a Red Border Collie with a bandanna around her neck that was similar to Jeanne's cape, as well as yellow-green eyes and some spots around her face that looked like freckles.

"Bella!" Jeanne exclaimed as the dog ran up to her. "Hi, girl!"

"Whose dog is that?" Luffy asked.

"This is my dog, Bella," Jeanne said. "Isn't she just so cute?"

All of a sudden, Bella barked and circled around, frantically, causing Jeanne to gasp silently.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Jeanne asked. "Is everything okay?"

"She says there's trouble at the church," Luffy said.

"Wait, what?" Jeanne asked. "How do you know that's what she's saying?"

Bella also looked up at Luffy in perplexity.

_'Can he understand me?'_ she thought, but then shook her head and started barking more.

"Okay, Bella, okay!" Jeanne said. "We'll follow you!"

"But...but what about food?" Luffy asked.

"Sorry, Luffy, it'll have to wait!" Jeanne apologized as she followed after Belle.

"Haa...!" Luffy sighed in exasperation. "What's a guy gotta do to get a bite to eat, around here?!" Nevertheless, he followed Jeanne and Bella to the church...where they saw Gordon standing outside the chapel door, surrounded by Marine soldiers!

"Oh, no...Gordon...!" Jeanne whispered, worriedly.

"I-I'm telling you, I don't know anything!" Gordon shouted. "Now please, go away! This is a church, for crying out loud!"

"Don't try and hide them!" shouted one of the Marines. "You know what the penalty is for harboring criminals! Now tell us where the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates are or else!"

"Hey, what's going on over here?" Luffy asked as he walked up to them.

"Eh?!" the Marines shouted. "Straw Hat Luffy?!"

"Oh, crap!" Gordon cursed. "Talk about bad timing...!"

Jeanne groaned and shook her head while Bella gaped in disbelief.

"Well, looks like you saved us the trouble of finding you, Straw Hat!" said one of the Marines as they brandished their guns and swords. "Now, give yourself up! You're under arrest!"

"Oh, come on, I have to fight more?!" Luffy questioned in annoyance. "Ugggggh~!"

"Hey, be careful!" Gordon cried. "The Marines' guns use seastone ammunition!"

"Seastone?" Luffy repeated before he took a fighting stance. "That's gonna hurt. Oh, well...if I gotta fight, then I gotta fight! Bring it on, chumps!"

And with that, the brawl commenced. Luffy, using his Observation Haki, sidestepped out of the range of a Marine's gun before he kneed him in the stomach, then turned around while stretching his leg out to kick another in the face, just when he was about to shoot. One tried to grab him from behind, just so his comrade could run him through with his cutlass, but Luffy, using forward momentum, swung that soldier off of his back and slammed him into the charging soldier. One more tried to rush him from behind, but then, **BAP!** Luffy backhanded him in the face, knocking him out cold.

"There," Luffy said as he dusted his hands off. "Now that those guys are taken care of...can I eat, now?!"

"Not that I don't appreciate yourself," Gordon began, "but why'd you have to show up, just when I was covering for you?"

"Sorry, didn't mean it," Luffy said. "Why were you here, anyway?"

"Chopper was staying here at the church, tending to the injured," Gordon answered, "but I got some bad news. Just when you and Jeanne got to the town's entrance, the Marines came and captured him!"

"What?!" Luffy questioned in shock.

"I heard they took him to the Marine Base, just north of town," Gordon explained. "Please...you have to go and save him! After all, he saved our lives!"

"You didn't even have to ask!" Luffy declared as he punched a fist into his palm. "Anybody who messes with my friends is askin' for a beating!"

"Wait, Luffy! Are you sure about that?!" Jeanne asked. "There are a lot more Marines around there than patrolling the town borders!"

_"It could be dangerous, you know!"_ Bella added as she came and stood beside her mistress.

"They've got one of my friends!" Luffy argued. "There's no way I'm gonna leave Chopper in the lurch like that!"

**GRRRRRRRRR~!** Once again, his stomach protested, determined to get some food.

"Don't you take that tone with me!" Luffy scolded his stomach. "You know as well as I do that Chopper's more important than food right now! We save him, first, and THEN we eat! Understand?!"

**Grrrrrgggghh...!**

"That's what I thought," Luffy said before he turned and ran off. "I'll be back, Jeanne!"

"Be careful, Luffy!" Jeanne called as she watched him leave.

"...Was he seriously just arguing with his stomach?" asked Gordon in bewilderment.

"Apparently so," Jeanne said.

_'Well, you learn something new, every day,'_ thought Bella as she sat down on her haunches. _'Still...I think I kinda like that guy.'_

XXX

It wasn't too long before Luffy finally reached the Marine Base up north of Sapphire Town. He didn't see any Marines standing outside, but he couldn't really get a good view of the inside of the base, either.

"Hmm..." Luffy hummed. "I might need a better vantage point." Scanning his surroundings, he looked up at the gate turrets and smirked. "That'll work!"

Stretching his arm, Luffy grabbed onto the turret and flew up to the top, where he got a good view of the inside of the base: a few towers here and there, some Marines scouting the area, a steel scaffold in the center...but no sign of Chopper.

"Hmm...I don't see hide, hair, or antler of Chopper," Luffy said as he crossed his arms. "...Oh! I know!" He then closed his eyes, using his Observation Haki. If he couldn't see Chopper, he could at least sense his aura...and sure enough, he found a small, familiar shape of a little animal inside one of the towers.

"Found him!" Luffy exclaimed. "Hang on, Chopper! I'll get ya outta there!" With that, he stretched his arms out in front of himself and pulled back. "Gum-Gum...ROCKET!"

**WHOOSH!** He flew down toward the front of the tower, using a somersault to land on his feet. As he walked up to the door, he attempted to open it, only to find that it was locked.

"Damn!" Luffy cursed. "I need a key..."

"Luffy?" Chopper's voice called from behind the door. "Is that you?!"

"Hey, Chopper!" Luffy answered. "Hang tight, okay? I'll get you out, soon!"

"Hold it, right there!"

Luffy turned around and saw several Marine soldiers surrounding him, holding up their rifles.

"Don't move, Straw Hat Luffy!" shouted one of them. "You're under arrest!"

"We knew that capturing one of your crewmates would lure you to us," said another one of them with a confident smirk, "and soon, we'll have the rest of your crew, as well."

Luffy heaved a sigh as he turned to face the small troop of soldiers.

"Listen," he said. "I don't really have time to be dealing with punks like you. I'm really hungry and I really, REALLY need to eat something! So just let me get my friend and then we'll go, okay?!"

"Take aim, men!" shouted one of the soldiers as they raised their guns. "Get ready!"

"...Fine," Luffy said. "I guess you leave me no choice." He then closed his eyes and took in a deep breath...and then, gathering up all his will...Luffy opened his eyes, unleashing a burst of Conqueror's Haki. The Marines gasped, foaming at the mouth before they all collapsed, causing Luffy to sigh in relief.

"Luffy?" Chopper called from behind the tower door. "What's going on out there? Are you okay?!"

"I'm all right, Chopper!" Luffy answered. "Hang on a minute! I'll have you out in a jiffy!" He then searched through one of the Marines' pockets, and then he pulled out a key. "Aha!"

Soon, he had the door unlocked and opened, and not long after, Chopper came running out and jumped into his arms!

"Luffy!" Chopper exclaimed, happily, causing Luffy to laugh. "I was looking all over for you! You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

"Nah, I'm fine," Luffy answered. "Just hungry. What about you, Chopper? Are you okay?"

"I'm just fine," Chopper said. "Though you should watch out for the guns they use on this island, Luffy. The bullets are made of seastone!"

"Yeah, I know," Luffy replied. "I got lucky that I haven't been hit, yet."

"Good," Chopper nodded. "Still, try and be careful, okay?"

"Sure thing," Luffy answered. "But anyway, Chopper, are you here by yourself? Where are the others?"

"I don't know," Chopper replied. "I do know that Aika and Kumi are still on the ship! As for the others, we all got separated. I'm guessing you're alone, too, huh, Luffy?"

"Yeah," Luffy answered as he put Chopper down on the ground. "It's just me."

"How about we go back to Sapphire Town, first?" Chopper asked. "I know you've gotta be hungry, by now."

"REALLY hungry," Luffy emphasized as he put his hand to his stomach.

"Then we'll head back there, for now," Chopper answered, "but when you're done eating, can we go to Amber Harbor? There's something I have to do, there."

"Sure, we'll go after I have lunch!" Luffy answered.

"Great!" Chopper exclaimed, and not long after, Luffy's stomach began grumbling, again, although a bit quieter this time, which caused him to laugh.

"Yeah, I forgive you, tummy," Luffy said as he rubbed his stomach. "I know you get a little grumpy when you're hungry."

"Hee-hee-hee!" Chopper laughed. "Oh, Luffy..."

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

Review, please!


	3. Ch 2- Amber Pirates

**Ch. 2- Amber Pirates**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Jupiter, Lucky, and Bella © Me

* * *

Jeanne couldn't believe her eyes as she watched Luffy eating everything he could get his hands on. Bread, soup, meat, pasta, all food disappearing down the rubber-man's gullet. Chopper was sitting across from Luffy, eating almost as vigorously as his captain was, and all the while, stacks of dirty plates piled up on the table.

Bella sat nearby, just as stunned as her owner as she watched them while she gnawed on a bone, and Gordon was just as stunned as he brought out another plate of meat...which Luffy instantly snatched from his hand using his stretching arms.

"Whoa!" Gordon cried. "Jeez, what kind of appetite does he have?! He's eaten nearly two weeks' worth of food in an under an hour!"

"Such a scary appetite..." Jeanne whispered.

**URRRRRRP!** A huge belch erupted from Luffy's belch before he leaned back and patted his bloated stomach, sighing in satisfaction.

"Man, am I stuffed!" he exclaimed.

"Thanks for the food, Jeanne!" Chopper added. "Sorry we ate so much, though."

"Uh...it's fine," Jeanne replied. "Really."

"Now that I'm full," Chopper began as he hopped out of his chair, "I'm heading off to Amber Harbor."

"Amber Harbor?" Luffy repeated.

"There was a pirate who was injured there and I was tending to him," said Chopper. "In fact, Jeanne was the one who gave me the medicine to help treat him."

"Chopper, if you want, I can go with you," Jeanne replied. "I know a bit more about how the medicine works than you do."

"I'd actually appreciate it if you did," Chopper nodded. "Bella can come, too, of course."

"I'm going, too," Luffy spoke as he stood up, his stomach still hugely round. "I gotta make sure Aika and Kumi are safe."

"And...who are Aika and Kumi?" Jeanne asked.

"Oh, Aika's my-" Luffy started.

"Cabin girl!" Chopper interjected. "Aika's our cabin girl and Kumi is her pet dog! We took them in and now they sail with us."

"I see," Jeanne replied, although she sounded a bit uncertain. "Well, I suppose that's fine."

"Great! Let's get going!" Luffy said as he headed out the door...only to get wedged in the doorframe. "Uh...a little help?"

"Ugh..." Chopper groaned while Jeanne and Bella sweatdropped.

XXX

Sometime after getting Luffy unwedged from the door, the group began to make their way to Amber Harbor.

"So...what's Amber Harbor like, anyway?" Luffy asked as he walked with Jeanne, Chopper (who was in Walk Point form), and Bella.

"It's a harbor town," Jeanne answered. "A lot of pirates gather there, though, which is why hardly anybody goes there."

_"Although they usually just leave us alone as long as we don't bother them,"_ added Bella. _"They're pretty much harmless, you could say."_

"You said your ship is there, isn't it?" asked Jeanne. "Aren't you afraid it'll get ransacked? And what about your cabin girl?"

"Nah, I'm too worried," Luffy replied. "Aika's pretty smart for a little kid. She knows how to hide from bad guys."

"...If you say so," Jeanne said as they kept walking. It wasn't very long before they reached their destination: a ramshackle-looking town with bits of plywood and sheet metal everywhere. The place looked like it had just been thrown together, mostly. The walls appeared to be riddled with bullet holes, here and there, and most of all, there were pirates walking about.

"Some of them look friendly enough," Luffy said...but not long after he said this, two pirates bumped into each other.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, dumbass!"

"Oh, you wanna piece of me, punk?!"

Soon after, a brawl commenced, causing Chopper, Jeanne, and Bella to wince.

"Let's just hurry and get to the _Sunny_," said Chopper as they quickly headed off, trying to avoid gaining any unwanted attention. It wasn't very long before they reached the other side of town, and sure enough, there was the _Thousand Sunny_, docked at the pier.

"Oh! The _Sunny's_ safe!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Yeah, but I don't know if she's seaworthy," Chopper answered. "It doesn't look like Franky's here, so we won't know until we find him."

"This quite a ship you have," said Jeanne. "I've never seen one like it before."

"You like her?" Luffy asked. "Franky built her, himself! Shishishi!"

"Big Brother?"

Luffy turned around to see Aika and Kumi looking over the railing, the former sporting a big grin as she gasped in delight, then hurried down the gangplank with the latter hot on her heels.

"Big Brother, you're back!" she exclaimed as she ran to Luffy, who laughed as he crouched down and opened his arms, allowing his younger half-sister to jump into his embrace.

"I'm glad you're safe, Aika!" Luffy said. "You are okay, right?"

"I was really worried," Aika said. "Everyone else left and told me to wait here, but I was scared to be on my own!"

_"She was actually about to leave until you showed up, Luffy!"_ Kumi added.

"Did...did she just call you 'Big Brother'?" Jeanne asked.

"Yeah!" Luffy replied. "That's 'cause I am her brother!"

"Uh-oh...!" Chopper squeaked, nervously as he glanced at Jeanne, who blinked at Luffy and Aika before she smiled.

"I see," she said. "It looks like she loves you a lot."

_"When we heard there was a child on your crew,"_ Bella began, _"we thought you might have kidnapped her or something. Doesn't look like that's the case, though."_

"Why would you think that?" Luffy asked. "Because we're pirates?"

"Well...yes," Jeanne replied, sheepishly. "Sorry..."

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "It's no big deal. We heard that a lot, actually!"

"You'd be surprised," Chopper added.

"Anyway," Jeanne began, "Chopper, where's that pirate you mentioned? I don't see him here."

"Come to think of it, I don't see him, either," Luffy said.

"Aika?" Chopper asked. "Did you and Kumi see the pirate that I was treating here?"

"Pirate?" Aika repeated. "Umm...oh! You're talking about the guy with three pigtails and bandages all over him, right? I did see him, earlier...but then, these three guys came and dragged him away. They said he was their crewmate. I was afraid that they'd come after Kumi and me, so we hid in my room."

_"Sorry, Chopper,"_ Kumi apologized.

"He got dragged off by his own crew?!" Chopper questioned.

"Aika," Luffy said in a stern voice, "do you know where these pirates are, now?"

"I think I overheard them saying they'd be in the west side of town," Aika replied.

"That's the spot where we found him, earlier!" Chopper exclaimed. "We have to find him before it's too late!"

"Right!" Luffy nodded. "Let's hurry and find the guy!"

"Absolutely," Jeanne agreed.

"I'll go with you!" Aika exclaimed.

"No, Aika, you stay here," Luffy said. "It's safer if you and Kumi stay on the _Sunny_ and wait for us."

"But...I'm scared to be here all by myself," Aika replied, worriedly, causing Luffy to smile as he gently ruffled her hair.

"You'll be okay," he said. "Just be brave for me...you understand?"

Aika stared up at her older half-brother, her eyes sparkling with admiration before she smiled and nodded her head.

"Yeah! I'll be brave!" she replied. "I'll be brave like you, Big Brother!"

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Good girl."

With that, he, Chopper, Jeanne, and Bella headed back to the harbor town to search for the injured pirate, leaving Aika and Kumi on the ship to wait for them.

"...You treat her so sweetly," said Jeanne. "Your sister."

"Yeah, Aika's a cutie," Luffy agreed, "but I'm not afraid to put my foot down with her if I have to."

"Luffy may act happy-go-lucky," Chopper began, "but he knows when to draw the line."

"...I see," Jeanne said as she looked off into the distance, causing Bella to whimper, worriedly.

_'She's thinking about...him, again,'_ she thought.

XXX

"Hmm..." Luffy hummed as he stood on the roof of a tall building, scanning the town from on high.

"You see him, Luffy?!" Chopper called as he stood down below with Jeanne and Bella.

"Still looking!" Luffy called back.

"Looking from a high place is a very good idea," said Jeanne. "Are you sure Luffy will find him, though?"

"Don't worry about it," said Chopper. "Luffy's really good for stuff like this! Trust me!"

"Hmmmm..." Luffy hummed again before he closed his eyes, using his Observation Haki to sense where this missing pirate could be. Then, he spotted three figures down in an alley, not too far from his current location, and there was a fourth figure...down on his knees in front of them, and it looked like he was having a bit of trouble breathing, judging by how he was holding his chest.

"Crap...!" Luffy cursed as he opened his eyes. "Chopper! I found him!"

"Where is he?!" Chopper asked.

"Follow me!" Luffy answered before he soon flew off, and Chopper, Jeanne, and Bella followed.

XXX

"You useless waste of skin!"

**BAM!** A man with a stubbly beard was sent rolling across the dirt. He had his hair styled in three pigtails and he had bandages all over his chest and arms...and blood was dripping out of his mouth. He gasped, breathlessly as he gripped his chest, feeling a tightness in his lungs. Every breath he took only made the pain even worse.

"Urrgh...guh...!" he groaned as he coughed even more blood.

_'Damn...he kicked me right in my ribs...!'_ he thought as he looked up to see a huge, burly man with his hair in a topknot, wearing various pieces of metal for armor, had a dragon tattoo on his bare chest...and he was armed with two axes. Behind him were two scrawnier-looking men, both of them wearing smug grins and snickering darkly as they watched their crewmate suffer.

"Captain...please...I'm sorry...!" the pirate choked out.

"Shut it, John!" shouted the large brute, Captain One-Man, as he stamped his foot into the pirate's bandaged chest, once again, causing him to cry out in pain. "You really caused a huge mess! Well now, I'm showing you what happens when you don't follow orders!"

"Hey! Stop!"

John looked up to see Luffy, Chopper, Jeanne, and Bella running up to him.

"Oh, no!" Chopper cried.

"D...Doc Chopper," John wheezed. "Man, am I glad to see you."

"Are you okay, man?!" Luffy asked. "Just hang on! Chopper will treat you in a second!"

"Don't bother," said One-Man. "Just forget about him. He's outlived his usefulness."

"What did you say?" Luffy asked with a glare in his eyes, one that Chopper knew all too well.

"Uh-oh..." he muttered before he went over to John's side. "Hey, John! I'm gonna treat you, okay? But I gotta take you back to our ship, first!"

"R...right," John nodded as he tried to stand, only to cry out in more pain.

"Hold on! Let me help!" Jeanne exclaimed as she went over to help the injured pirate.

"What's this?" asked One-Man in disbelief. "Little Miss Leader, trying to help a no-good pirate?"

"He may be a pirate," Jeanne started, "but there's no way I'm leaving someone who's injured like this!"

"...Miss Jeanne...!" John whispered.

"This idiot has no one to blame but himself!" shouted One-Man. "First he tries to take the fall for the attack on the town, earlier, and then he's got the Marines chasing after me!" He then cracked his knuckles. "Now I'm pissed off. If you wanna help the dumbass so bad, I'll send you and your mutt to hell with him!"

Bella growled as she quickly got in front of Jeanne, baring her fangs at One-Man and his two lackeys.

"This is why I'll never understand pirates," Jeanne said, bitterly. "You'd rather abandon your own crew and save your own skins than help one of your own!"

"And what's so bad about that?" asked One-Man with a malevolent chuckle. "A pirate who puts his own captain in danger is nothing but a useless tool that deserves to be thrown away!"

"Someone who discards his crew members so easily isn't fit to be captain," Luffy spoke up, causing One-Man to glare at him.

"What was that, punk?" One-Man questioned. "Who the hell gave you permission to talk?!"

"...Mr. Luffy...!" Jeanne whispered in surprise.

"Oh, no, here we go," Chopper said before he shifted into Heavy Point and carefully picked John up. "Jeanne! Bella! Let's get back to the ship! Luffy, meet us there when you're done with these guys!"

"Got it," Luffy replied. "This won't take long."

Jeanne glanced back and forth between Chopper and Luffy before she and Bella followed after the human-reindeer.

"Heheheh," One-Man chuckled. "You sure picked the wrong pirates to mess with, kid. I'll teach you what happens when you mouth off to me! Get him, boys!"

"Right, boss!" his two lackeys shouted as they charged at Luffy with a pair of daggers...but Luffy only narrowed his eyes before he grabbed both their heads and slammed them together, knocking them both out cold. One-Man gaped in disbelief while Luffy glared at him, his fists clenched at his sides.

By now, any smart pirate would know to walk away...except One-Man wasn't very smart. He only growled as he charged at Luffy with both axes, preparing to cut him down with two swings. However, the Straw Hat Captain raised both hands and grabbed the axes, a smug grin appearing on his face as he gave them a squeeze and snapped the handles like they were nothing but mere twigs!

"W...what the-?!" One-Man questioned in shock.

"You done?" Luffy asked before he stretched his arm back behind, turning it black with Armaments Haki. "Now it's my turn! Now, Gum-Gum...RED HAWK!"

The resulting friction caused Luffy's arm to go ablaze, and before One-Man could even so much as blink, **KABAM!** Luffy's fist collided with his gut, a powerful burst of fire exploding out of his back!

"GAAAAH!" One-Man cried as he was sent crashing into a wall from the resulting force. Luffy smirked as he held up his fist and blew off the smoke like it was a gun barrel.

"Had enough?" he asked.

"Guuh...damn...you're strong for a pipsqueak...!" One-Man groaned as he glared at Luffy...and that's when he gasped in horror. "Wait a minute...that straw hat...and those scars...! You're...you're Straw Hat Luffy!"

"Damn right, I am," Luffy said.

"Wait a minute!" cried one of One-Man's crew as he suddenly regained consciousness. "THE Straw Hat Luffy?! The one who defeated Doflamingo in Dressrosa?!"

"And infiltrated Big Mom's territory and came out alive?!" shouted the other lackey, who also woke up.

"GAAAAH!" One-Man screamed. "What the hell were we thinking?! No wonder he's so strong! LET'S GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE, BOYS!"

"You don't gotta tell us twice!" cried his lackeys as they soon fled the scene.

"That takes care of those losers," Luffy said as he dusted his hands. "Well...looks like Chopper, Jeanne, Bella, and that wounded guy got away. I better hurry and make sure they're all right, though."

With that said, he headed back to the _Sunny_, as well.

XXX

"Big Brother's back!" Aika exclaimed as she saw Luffy approach. Nearby, Chopper had John lying down on a mat, having just changed his bandages and gave him the medicine that Jeanne gave him.

"Welcome back, Luffy!" Chopper greeted. "That didn't take long at all!"

"Hey, Chopper," Luffy said while he gave Aika a quick hug, then looked over at John. "How's he doing? He gonna be okay?"

"Well, One-Man did beat him up quite a bit," Chopper said. "It'll take him a while to recover. Plus, he'll have to continue the treatment for a while."

"Doc Chopper..." John muttered. "I'm sorry you had to go through all this trouble for a lowlife like me."

"Don't say that!" Chopper argued. "I'm a doctor! It's my job to help anybody who's injured or sick, no matter what!"

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Don't worry about it, too much, pal. If Chopper says he'll help you, then that's what he'll do!"

"Chopper's the best doctor in the whole wide world!" Aika exclaimed.

"Sh-shut up!" Chopper exclaimed, happily wiggling around. "Complimenting me like that won't make me happy, you know!"

As for Jeanne and Bella, they just glanced at each other, quietly.

"Thanks," John replied with a grateful smile. "I don't know how I could ever repay your kindness."

"Maybe...you could repay us with meat?" Luffy asked.

"Luffy!" Chopper chided. "You just ate not that long ago!"

"Oh, yeah," Luffy muttered. "Well, there is another way you could help us. Do you know where I can find the rest of my crew?"

"Your crew, huh?" John asked. "Well...I can't say I can help you, there...but come to think of it, I did hear this rumor about a Devil Fruit user somewhere at Jade Bridge."

"A Devil Fruit user?" Chopper repeated. "Luffy...it might be Robin!"

"Only one way to find out," Luffy said. "Chopper, you don't mind looking after Aika and Kumi for me while I check it out, right?"

"Sure! Leave it to me!" Chopper answered.

"Aww...we gotta stay here, longer?" asked Aika.

_"Don't pout, Aika,"_ said Kumi. _"It's for our own good."_

"...I guess so," Aika muttered.

"So...where is Jade Bridge, anyway?" Luffy inquired.

"Uh...excuse me, Mr. Luffy?" Jeanne asked.

"Just Luffy is fine," Luffy corrected. "What's up, Jeanne?"

"Well...Jade Bridge is just north of here," Jeanne answered. "There's just one problem: the Marines have set up a checkpoint there, so this Devil Fruit user that John is talking about might be a Marine. It could be really dangerous. You're really sure you wanna head there?"

_"We don't wanna see you get in trouble, too, Luffy,"_ added Bella.

"I'm still going!" Luffy declared. "I gotta save my friends!"

"...I see," Jeanne said with a warm smile. "You really care about them, don't you, Luffy?"

"Of course, he does!" Aika replied. "We all care for each other!"

"We're like a big family!" Chopper added.

"...A family, huh?" Jeanne asked.

"Anyway, I better get going," Luffy said as he prepared to leave.

"Luffy, before you go," said Chopper as he handed his captain a Mini Transponder Snail, "take this Mini Transponder Snail with you! Call us if you need anything, okay?"

"Got it!" Luffy replied as he took the Mini Transponder Snail and put it in his pocket.

"One more thing!" Aika said as she handed Luffy her Lucky Cherry Blossom. "Promise you'll bring it back, okay?"

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Sure, Sis. I promise. I'll be back!"

With that said, he ran off, leaving the others behind.

"...Family..." Jeanne muttered as she looked down at the ground, deep in thought.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

About time I update this one.

Review, please! Let me know what you thought of this chapter!


	4. Ch 3- Devil Fruit User

**Ch. 3- Devil Fruit User**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Jupiter, Lucky, and Bella © Me

* * *

It took a while, but Luffy eventually made it to a large structure: a bridge with a Marine base stationed on the other side, as well as several lookout stations on both sides of the bridge. He could see some Marine soldiers patrolling the place, as well.

"Looks like this is the place," Luffy said as he peeked from behind a rock. "And there are lookouts all around, too." He grinned as he cracked his knuckles. "Not a problem! I'll just-"

**PURU-PURU-PURU! PURU-PURU-PURU!**

Luffy looked down at his pocket before he pulled out the Mini Transponder Snail that Chopper gave him before he left.

"Hello?" Luffy asked.

**"Luffy, it's Chopper. I forgot to tell you before you left, but it might be best if you don't make any noise."**

"What?" Luffy asked in complaint. "You mean I can't fight anybody?"

**"Think about it, Luffy! If one of us really is being held up in there, you might put them in danger! They could move them to a different prison!"**

"Huh..." Luffy muttered in contemplation. "I guess you have a point, Chopper...but then how am I supposed to get in?"

**"Maybe you can sneak in, somehow! You know, like a spy!"**

"Ooh, now you're talkin' my language!" Luffy exclaimed with an excited gleam in his eye.

**"See if you can find something you can hide in, then sneak toward the base and find a way inside. Good luck, Luffy!"**

**"Be careful, Big Brother!"**

"I will, Aika," Luffy reassured. "And thanks, Chopper!"

With that, he hung up and put the snail back in his pocket, then looked around for a way to sneak in. Stealth wasn't really Luffy's best ability, but if one of his crew really had been captured, he didn't want to risk them getting moved to another location and left unable to be tracked down. That's when the Straw Hat Captain's eyes fell upon an old wooden barrel...and almost instantly, an impish grin appeared on his face.

XXX

A Marine soldier yawned and stretched his arms, his eyes looking toward the sea. He had to admit...this job was rather boring. No pirate would ever be dumb enough to try and sneak in here. He didn't even know why he bothered...

Until he heard what sounded like footsteps coming from somewhere behind him.

"Huh?" he muttered before he glanced back, then pulled off his rifle from his back and turned around, taking quick aim. "Halt! Who goes there?!"

Nothing...just an old, wooden barrel that was sitting near the lookout tower.

"Huh...must have been the wind or something," the soldier mused before he turned back around...but the moment he did, the barrel suddenly sprouted feet and began waddling away.

"Shishishi!" Luffy snickered from inside. "Dumbass...!"

Yes, it was indeed Luffy, crammed up inside the barrel. He couldn't believe how easy this was...not to mention a bit nostalgic. It reminded him of when he first started on his adventure, almost 3 years ago, having to hop inside an old fishing barrel to escape a raging whirlpool.

Good times.

As Luffy covertly (at least as best he could) slipped past the Marines, he didn't realize that he couldn't really see where he was going. In his haste to cross the bridge, he accidentally bumped into one soldier from behind, causing him to stumble forward. Luffy gasped before he stood completely still, just as the Marine turned around with his gun raised, trying to spot the intruder who had just stumbled into him...and yet, there was no one in sight.

"That's strange..." he muttered before he turned around...only to hear a sneeze, causing him to turn and look at the barrel that was behind him. He didn't know why, but he had a nagging suspicion...but he had to be sure. Soon, he lifted the barrel's lid open, ever so slightly and took a peek inside...

**BAM!** The hapless and unknowing Marine fell backward, teeth knocked out and nose broken by a powerful punch, knocked out cold as he lied on the ground while Luffy sighed in relief.

"Hey! I thought I heard something!" said one of the Marines, causing Luffy to gasp before he quickly scrambled out of the barrel.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap...!" he cursed multiple times before he ran toward the wall of the base, then stretched his arms and grabbed onto the ledge before he pulled himself up, just as the Marine soldiers appeared with their rifles.

"Hey!" one of them shouted as he ran up to his unconscious comrade. "You all right?! Wake up! What happened?!"

Luffy panted as he looked down at the ground, then sighed in relief as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Next time, I'm leaving the sneaking around to Nami," he said before he turned around and found many iron scaffolds and structures, some of them half-built, as well as multiple iron crates. It looked like the place was still under construction.

"Well...gotta look somewhere," Luffy said while he looked around. "Hello~? Robin? Brook? Chopper?" He paused. "Oh, wait, Chopper's at the ship. Never mind!"

There was no answer, causing Luffy to huff.

"Well...only one way to solve this," he said before he closed his eyes, his Observation Haki taking over his senses...and that's when he seemed to spot a figure standing behind a locked door. "That looks promising."

Wasting no time, Luffy soon bounded over to the door and attempted to open it...but it wouldn't budge.

"Hey!" he complained. "What gives?!"

"Looking for someone?"

Luffy gasped quietly before he turned around and saw wisps of smoke beginning to form out of thin air. They swirled around each other, creating a huge cloud before it dispersed...revealing that it was none other than Vice-Admiral Smoker, Luffy's self-proclaimed arch-nemesis.

"Smokey!" Luffy exclaimed.

"I heard that an escapee was making their way to this place," said Smoker, "but I sure didn't expect it to be you...Straw Hat. You always seem to pop up whenever there's something afoot, don't you?"

"So you're that Devil Fruit user that that guy was talking about earlier!" Luffy realized.

"Don't get so chummy," said Smoker as he grabbed the hilt of his sea prism stone jutte. "I might have let you and your crew escape back on Punk Hazard, but I'm a Marine Vice-Admiral and you're a notorious pirate. We're natural enemies, and you'd be wise to remember that!" He then brandished his weapon. "I won't let you escape from me, this time...today's the day I finally bring you to justice!"

Luffy scoffed before he took a fighting stance. "If that's the way it's gonna be, then don't think I'm gonna hold back, either! Let's do this!"

On that, Smoker flew at Luffy using his Plume-Plume Fruit powers, preparing to swing his jutte right at his head...but Luffy was no fool, especially not in a fight. His eyes flashed red before he ducked down, to Smoker's shock. Before the Vice-Admiral could react, he was suddenly struck below the jaw by Luffy's Haki-imbued fists, sending flying backward. He managed to catch himself, however, before he glared at Luffy, who glared right back while making the "Come and get me" gesture.

"Don't get too cocky, kid...!" Smoker growled. "WHITE BLOW!"

Using his powers, he fired a fist of smoke at Luffy, who easily jumped over the attack before he stretched both hands way back behind him.

"JET BAZOOKA!"

**BAM!** Luffy struck Smoker with both barrels, sending him stumbling back while coughing blood and his cigars. After taking a moment to try and shake off his disorientation, he looked up, only to see that Luffy had somehow vanished.

"Where did he- UGH!"

He soon got his answer when he was suddenly elbowed in the face by Luffy, who appeared at his right quicker than lightning. Smoker was sent crashing into one of the iron scaffolds, sending wooden crates and tarps falling on top of him.

"Had enough, yet, Smokey?" Luffy asked. "I could go all day!"

"...Not bad...Straw Hat," Smoker groaned as he wiped his mouth. "This is the first time you and I have actually fought seriously. I remember you used to run away whenever we encountered each other."

"I've gotten stronger since then!" Luffy retorted.

"Clearly...but even so..." He then charged at Luffy with his powers, both fists imbued with Armaments' Haki. "It won't be enough!"

Luffy roared as he charged right back at Smoker before they began to exchange blows, back and forth. Smoker did manage to get a few hits in, but then, so did Luffy. Eventually, they ended up jumping back from each other, although Luffy slid back a bit before he managed to stand up.

"White...OUT!" Smoker yelled before he burst into a huge cloud of smoke, shrouding everything around him in white...but Luffy wasn't worried. He saw something like this coming. Taking a deep breath and closing, the Straw Hat Captain concentrated his focus...and in his mind, he could hear the voice of his teacher.

_"Remember to time your reactions just right, Luffy...don't attack unless you're absolutely it'll connect...wait for it..."_

Behind him...Smoker appeared, holding his jutte.

_"Almost..."_

Smoker grit his teeth as he prepared to swing his weapon.

_"NOW!"_

Luffy's eyes snapped open he bit into his blackened thumb, then began to blow air into it, causing it to grow at least 4 times its size. He turned around, just as Smoker was getting ready to strike...only to gasp upon seeing his enlarged fist.

"GUM-GUUUUUM...ELEPHANT GUUUUUUN!"

**POW!** Luffy's gigantic fist ended up sending Smoker crashing through the iron gates of the base, causing the Marine soldiers stationed outside to scream as the Vice-Admiral suddenly came crashing out and fell to the ground. Luffy panted, his fist returning to normal size before he stood upright, watching and waiting for his adversary.

"...Hey, Smokey," Luffy said. "I know you're not dead. Get up."

A pause...but then Smoker groaned as he sat up, holding his chest in pain.

"Ugh...you really have grown stronger," he said. "Tell me...who was it that trained you in Armaments' Haki?"

"...Rayleigh did," Luffy answered.

"Rayleigh?" Smoker repeated in surprise. "You mean Silvers 'Dark King' Rayleigh, Gold Roger's first mate?"

"Yeah, that's the one," Luffy answered.

"Hmph...you're certainly someone special, aren't you?" asked Smoker before he forced himself to stand up. "No matter...I'm not done, just yet!"

"You still wanna go, huh?" Luffy asked as he took a fighting stance. "Then bring it on!"

The Marine soldiers gasped before they quickly ran out of the way, knowing that the incoming battle was about to do more damage out here than there was inside...but then, **PURU-PURU-PURU! PURU-PURU-PURU!**

"Huh?" Luffy muttered before he felt around inside his pockets. "Uh...wait, is that mine?"

"Ah, shit..." Smoker groaned as he pulled out a Mini Transponder Snail of his own. "What do you want?! I'm busy!"

**"Vice-Admiral Smoker, sir! Orders from the higher-ups! You're needed immediately!"**

"Now?!" Smoker questioned before he groaned in disdain. "Fine then...I'll be right there." He then put the snail away. "You got lucky, Straw Hat. That was the boss. For now, you're off the hook."

"The boss?" Luffy repeated in confusion. "You mean Jeanne?"

"Who the hell's Jeanne?" asked Smoker. "I meant the warden, you idiot! Here on this island, he's in charge of everything here."

"...Huh..." Luffy muttered in intrigue.

"Anyway, you're stuck on this island for the time being, right?" asked Smoker. "I'll just arrest you once I'm done with this."

"Screw that!" Luffy spat. "I'm not getting arrested, not now or ever!"

"That's what you think..." Smoker muttered before he turned to leave, but then stopped. "By the way...I hope you're taking good care of the kid and her pup."

Luffy glared at Smoker. "Aika and Kumi are just fine. You don't gotta worry about them."

"...If you say so," Smoker said. "There haven't been any wanted posters of them...yet...but you better hope they don't get them any time soon."

With that, he soon disappeared in a wisp of smoke while Luffy watched.

**PURU-PURU-PURU! PURU-PURU-PURU!**

"Oh! That's definitely mine!" Luffy exclaimed before he picked it up. "Chopper?"

**"Luffy, it's me again! Is everything all right?! What's going on?! Did you find anybody?!"**

"All I found was Smokey," Luffy answered. "Turns out he was the Devil Fruit user on the bridge. We fought for a while and we were about to go another round, but then he got called away by the boss of the island."

**"That's weird...Smoker would usually jump at the chance to catch you."**

"Yeah, weird, right?" Luffy asked. "Anyway, what do we now? Robin and Brook aren't here, and I don't know where else we should look for the others."

**"Hmmm...this is a pickle..."**

**"...Oh, wait! Chopper, can I see that, real quick?"**

**"Huh? Oh, sure, Jeanne! Here!"**

"What's up, Jeanne?" Luffy asked.

**"Luffy, listen. If you don't have any leads, I got an idea. Meet me at Steel City!"**

"Steel City?" Luffy repeated. "Where's that at?"

**"It's a huge city on the eastern side of the island. I was just about to head there, myself, so I'll meet you there, okay?"**

"Steel City, huh?" Luffy asked. "I wonder if they got any meat there..."

**"Luffy, you just had food not that long ago!"**

"Well, I can't help it, Chopper!" Luffy complained while holding his stomach. "Fighting Smokey made me hungry, again!"

**"Ugh, it figures...well, I'll still be ship with Aika and Kumi. Let me know if you find any clues!"**

**"Big Brother, if you can, can you bring me back some cookies, too?"**

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Sure thing, Li'l Sis. Stay safe!"

**"We will!"**

With that, he hung up and put the snail back in his pocket.

"All right, time to check this place out!" Luffy exclaimed. "Uh...but first, I gotta figure out how to get there." He then noticed one of the Marines nearby, shivering as he stared at him since he had watched the battle that transpired between him and Smoker. "Oh! Hey, buddy, you know where Steel City is?"

"Uhh...it...it's...that way," stammered the Marine as he pointed to the left, where Luffy could see several huge towers far off into the distance.

"Oh, sweet!" Luffy grinned before he broke into a run. "Thanks, man!"

"...They don't pay me enough for this...!" the Marine soldier bemoaned.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

Yeah, I know, I took a long time with this one, but I finally got this one down and hopefully, the next one will be a little faster.

Review, please! And remember, stay safe and stay at home!


	5. Ch 4- Steel City

**Ch. 4- Steel City**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Jupiter, Lucky, and Bella © Me

* * *

"JET BAZOOKA!"

The Marine soldier was sent flying back across the grassy field where Luffy stood, both arms imbued with Armaments' Haki. Around him, at least a dozen other Marine soldiers, all of them lying unconscious on the dirt and around old stone houses and structures that looked as if they had become overgrown with moss. He just happened to be passing through here on his way to the aforementioned Steel City, but it seemed the Marines weren't very inclined to let him pass by.

"Jeez," Luffy muttered in annoyance. "Everywhere I go, these Marine jerks sure are a pain in my ass! I'm just trying to get to that Steel City place!"

"If you wanted to get there without any trouble, you should have taken the right fork in the road," a voice spoke, causing Luffy to turn to see a short, elderly woman with graying platinum blonde hair and patched-up clothing, hobbling over to him on a cane.

"Who are you, Granny?" asked Luffy.

"Oh, I'm the old caretaker of Emery Plaza," said the old lady. "Call me Margie."

"Uh...okay," Luffy said. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just happened to come out after I heard all the commotion you caused," said Margie. "Thank you for getting rid of those Marine pests for me. Almost every day, they come knocking at my door, asking for taxes when I barely have a Berry to my name!"

"Oh...sorry to hear that," Luffy said.

"Ohh..." Margie sighed. "This place used to be a lot livelier, and I don't mean because of all the riffraff that's been showing as of late. We used to have all kinds of events here! Island meetings, social gatherings, festivals, banquets..."

"Banquets?!" Luffy repeated, excitedly.

"But all that stopped when the island's previous leader died," Margie continued, solemnly. "It's a shame...but I guess nothing's meant to stay how you liked it forever." She then chuckled, humorlessly. "But I digress. I'm sure you're in a hurry, boy, so you better get going. Steel City isn't much farther from here. Just keep going the way you're going and you'll get there soon enough."

"Thanks, Granny!" Luffy replied before he turned and ran down the path. "See ya later!"

Margie chuckled as she watched the eager young man head toward his destination. "He reminds me of someone I knew, long ago...I wonder if Jeanne likes him."

XXX

After running for a good while, Luffy groaned as he walked down the cobblestone road, practically dragging his feet along.

"Man...this would be SO much easier if I had Blizzard with me," he complained. "I could just ride on his back the rest of the way there! How much farther until I get to Steel City, anyway?"

Apparently, he didn't have to look much farther, because the next thing, he ended up bumping right into an iron post, causing him to stumble back before he fell flat on his butt. After rubbing his nose and dusting off the back of his pants, Luffy looked up and saw that we had bumped into was a huge metal sign that said "Steel City", and beyond that were tall, colorful buildings as far as the eye could see. The streets were filled with bustling people, walking back and forth, and by the looks of it, it seemed that Luffy was in the ritzier part of town, for they were all wearing rather expensive-looking clothing from lavish suits to sparkling jewelry.

"Whoa!" Luffy exclaimed as he looked around. "So this is Steel City! It's huge!"

Suddenly, someone bumped into him from the front, causing him to step back for a second before the man glared at him.

"Oh, sorry!" Luffy apologized.

"Watch where you're going!" the man spat before he walked on.

"...Friendly guy," Luffy muttered as he continued walking. "Hmm...I wonder if the rest of my crew is here."

As he continued looking around, he suddenly froze in his tracks as he caught the all too familiar whiff of a half-pound of beef sizzling on a flat grill. Luffy licked his lips, his mouth watering at the scent before he followed the steamy wisps, and sure enough, he spotted it: the city's marketplace, filled with stalls that sold all kinds of food from fish to fruits and especially meat...which was what Luffy happened to be eyeing right now.

"MEAT!" Luffy exclaimed before he ran up to the stall, where a man stood as he delicately placed a fine-cut slab of steak on the grill, along with some kebabs and even some fried noodles with chunks of beef. "Oh, man...I'm so hungry, I could eat an elephant! Hey, can I have some of those?"

"That'll be 13,000 Berries, buddy," said the cook.

"Ohh..." Luffy muttered as he checked his pockets. "Umm...yeah, I don't have any money-"

"Then what good are you to me?!" the cook questioned. "Scram, punk!"

"Aww, come on, can't I just give you an I.O.U?" Luffy asked.

"I said beat it!" the cook yelled.

"All right, all right!" Luffy cried as he walked away. "Man...so much for that. People around here sure are stingy."

"Did you hear the latest, Emma?"

Luffy turned to see a young woman that seemed to be about 18 or 19 years old with orange hair- slightly of a darker shade than Nami's- that was done up in a bun, wearing a purple shirt and brown overalls, and she was talking with a man with greenish-blue hair that was wearing a yellow tuxedo and a matching top hat.

"I heard that the warden is coming out of the Marine base in the city soon," said the young man, Jackie.

"Maybe it has something to do with those pirates," muttered Emma, worriedly as she put a hand to her cheek.

"Pirates?" Luffy repeated. "Hey! Maybe they're talking about us!" He then made his way over to them. "Hey, 'scuse me!"

"Uh...can we help you?" asked Emma.

"Yeah," Luffy answered. "What kinda pirates were you two talking about, just now?"

"Oh, we heard rumors that some small crew called the 'Straw Hat Pirates' are here on the island," said Emma. "They say that the warden's pulling out all the stops to capture them."

"The warden, huh?" Luffy inquired. "Where can I find this guy?"

"We heard he's coming out of the Marine base in the city," said Jackie before he pointed across the large canal towards the other side of town. "It's on the other side of town, near the city plaza."

"Got it! Thanks!" Luffy said before he stretched his arms and grabbed the railing, to Jackie and Emma's shock. "Gum-Gum...ROCKET!"

With that, he soon sent himself flying while the young man and woman gaped in disbelief.

"Was...was he...flying?" asked Emma.

"And did his arms just stretch?" asked Jackie. "Just like...rubber?!"

XXX

It wasn't very long before Luffy landed on the other side of the city, startling its dwellers as he suddenly appeared without warning...although he did end up making a bit of a crater in the street.

"Phew!" Luffy sighed as he stood up. "Well, that was fun. Maybe I should have thought of that sooner."

"Hey! What's wrong with you, boy?!"

Luffy turned to see yet another old woman, although this one had light magenta hair, a fake rose in her hat, and just like the other denizens of Steel City, she also had some fancy clothing and jewelry.

"Don't you know better than to go around, startling people?!" asked the old woman. "Especially me?! You could have given old Rose a heart attack!"

"Jeez, sorry, old lady!" Luffy said. "Sheesh, what is with everyone in this city yelling at me? Anyway, I don't got time for this. I'm looking for the Marine base."

"You mean that one there?" Rose deadpanned as she pointed at a huge steel gate behind her with a huge building that held the Marine insignia on it.

"Oh, yeah!" Luffy exclaimed before he prepared to walk up to the gate. "Thanks, Granny!"

"Hold it!" Rose shouted as she grabbed Luffy by the arm and pulled him behind a stall. "What are you, daft?! You can't just walk right up there!"

"Why not?!" Luffy questioned.

"Because you can't, that's why!" Rose shouted. "What are you doing, just asking for trouble?!"

Before Luffy could even open his mouth to argue, the city folk suddenly started clamoring and cheering.

"Look! Here comes Mr. Isaac!"

"What?" Luffy asked as he turned around. "Isaac?!"

Sure enough, there he was: the very same man who Luffy fought back on the Sky Prison, accompanied by two Marine gunmen as they walked alongside him. As Isaac strode through the streets, cold eyes hidden behind his shades, the people cheered and waved at his arrival...but he didn't even stop to look at them.

"Hey! It's that guy from the Sky Prison!" Luffy exclaimed as he began to wind up a punch. "That bastard...I got a bone to pick with him!"

"HOLD IT!" Rose shouted as she grabbed Luffy, once again...and this didn't go unnoticed by Isaac, who glanced back at the Straw Hat Captain for a moment before he continued walking.

"WILL YOU STOP GRABBING ME?!" Luffy questioned. "Why are you stopping me, anyway?! I just wanted to ask that guy something!"

"Because I don't want anyone getting into any more trouble, that's why!" Rose shouted. "Don't you get it?! If you cross the warden, there's no telling what he'll do!" That's when her eyes took on this somewhat sad, sincere look. "Please...I beg of you, don't do anything rash! I don't want anyone else to get hurt! Or worse, killed!"

"Sheesh," Luffy muttered. "Fine then. I'll do it when you're not around!"

"That's even worse!" Rose yelled. "You're obviously not from here, are you, sonny?"

"Uh...no," Luffy answered. "I'm all the way from the East Blue."

"The East Blue?!" Rose repeated. "Well, you're quite a ways from home! But that's beside the point...listen to me. Here on this island, there's one rule you should follow: NEVER oppose the Marines, no matter what!" She then heaved a sigh. "I mean...I can understand why people would be frustrated, what with the high taxes and the men being forced to build all these prisons here and there...honestly, I don't really like it myself."

"Then why do you listen to the Marines, anyway?" Luffy asked.

"Because it's safer that way," said Rose. "Isaac protects the island from pirates that show up...and the prisons have to go somewhere! Not just that, but those who do help with the construction end up getting paid quite a pretty penny! As far as money goes, there's no downside to it! And with the Marines coming and going, business has been booming, too!"

"Is that right?" Luffy asked while he crossed his arms.

"Not just that," Rose began, "but Isaac was the son of the island's former leader. Was always a pretty bright boy, just like his father." She gave a small, somber sigh. "He left this island and joined up with the Marines after his mother died...and when he was promoted to warden, he came back here. Sure, it may not all be sunshine and flowers, but I'm sure Isaac has his reasons...however extreme they may be. In fact, I heard he actually captured the Straw Hat Pirates!"

"Wait, what?!" Luffy questioned. "Where are they?!"

"I wouldn't know," Rose answered. "If you're that eager for answers, try asking Jill."

"Who's Jill?" Luffy asked with a tilt of his head.

"Jill knows practically everything there is to know about anything that goes on around the island," Rose answered. "You'll find her in the city plaza. Look for four giant crystal pillars. You can't miss them!"

"I see," Luffy said. "Thanks, old lady!"

With that, he soon turned and walked away, trying to find the plaza she spoke of. However, as he left, one thing nagged at the back of his mind.

"Some people here know that the Marines are causing problems here, just as much as the pirates are," Luffy said to himself, "and yet, they just accept it?" He scoffed under his breath. "Something stinks about this place."

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

Yeah, this one's pretty short. Not much happens here except story building, but there will be more action in the next chapter!

Review, please!


	6. Ch 5- The Mysterious Woman

**Ch. 5- The Mysterious Woman**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Jupiter, Lucky, and Bella © Me

* * *

"Jeez...how much more walking around do I have to do?" Luffy asked as he walked through the streets. "Where is the plaza, anyway?"

For quite some time, now, Luffy had been aimlessly wandering around Steel City, looking for the woman named Jill that Rose had told him about. For one thing, Luffy didn't really know this island very well, so naturally, he didn't really know where he was going. He was never very good with directions, to begin with.

For another thing...it was hard for him to concentrate with all the smells of food wafting in the air.

"Ugh..." Luffy groaned as he put his hands to his stomach. "I'm starving~! I just wish I had even just a little bite of meat! Even the bone would be good!" He sighed as he slumped against something. "I wish I knew where Jeanne was...maybe she could tell me where the plaza is."

"Uhh...right here?"

"Huh?" Luffy muttered before he looked up to see Jeanne and Bella. "Oh! Hey, Jeanne! Hey, Bella! Hey, do you know where the city plaza is?"

"You're standing in it, right now," Jeanne pointed out, causing Luffy to look up and see four huge crystal monoliths.

"Oh...so I am," Luffy realized before he stood up. "Hey, I'm looking for somebody named Jill. She might know something about where my crew is."

"Oh, that's a coincidence!" Jeanne said. "I was just about to talk to her, myself! I wanted to ask her something!"

"Ask me what, Jeanne?"

Jeanne turned to see a woman with reddish-orange hair, wearing glasses, a white sunhat, a brown closed vest and jeans with ruffled rims, and a white cardigan underneath.

"Oh, Jill, there you are!" Jeanne said. "Luffy, this is Jill. She knows pretty much everything that goes around here."

"Oh, hi, Jill!" Luffy grinned. "I'm-"

"You don't have to tell me who you are," Jill said. "I've seen the faces of you and your crew in all the newspapers and wanted posters pretty much every morning. You guys are pretty infamous pirates."

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Yeah! And proud of it, too!"

"Speaking of your crew," Jill began, "I think I have something that might help you. Earlier, the Marines were making quite a fuss about a mysterious woman sneaking into the base in the city; a rather flamboyant woman with long, orange hair, they say...I believe those details describe your navigator, Cat Burglar Nami, am I wrong?"

"Yeah! That's Nami!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Do you really think that that might be one of Luffy's crew members, Jill?" asked Jeanne. "It could just as easily be the person who instigated that riot that happened here, the other day."

"There was a riot here?" Luffy asked with a tilt of his head.

"That's right," said Jill. "A number of armed islanders came and rioted here in the city. I'm sure you noticed, Straw Hat, but the Marines have been stationed here on this island for the past 12 years now. Because of their presence, the islanders have divided into two separate factions: there's Pro-Marine for those who support them and Anti-Marine who don't...and people are saying that it was members of the Anti-Marine faction who started the riot."

"Oh, really?" Luffy asked.

"But it's not fair to make such snap judgments like that," Jeanne added. "I for one think that the real one behind the riot is trying to frame the Anti-Marine faction."

"I can understand why you'd stick up for them, Jeanne," Jill sympathized. "After all, you're the leader of the Anti-Marine faction."

"Wait, say what?" Luffy asked.

_"Jeanne's the leader of the Anti-Marine faction of the island,"_ Bella spoke. _"However...no one really meant to start a fight or anything."_

"Hey, Jeanne," Luffy said. "Bella here says that you weren't here to cause any fights. So why did the riot happen?"

"I wish I knew," Jeanne replied, frustrated. "We weren't there to cause any fights or anything. We just came to try and talk things out, calmly, but then the next thing we knew, a gunshot suddenly rang out and the whole meeting fell apart."

_"It was a total disaster,"_ Bella added, sadly. _"To this day, we still don't know who did it."_

"Well, do you have someone in mind?" Luffy asked.

"I wouldn't know about it," Jeanne answered. "It's not clear who fired the shot, first, even though so many people were arrested. That's why I'm still looking into the matter...and I have a feeling I'm close to nabbing whoever the culprit was." She then looked at Luffy with a determined expression. "My investigation has nothing to do with Pro-Marine or Anti-Marine! I just wanna be able to trust the people on this island!"

"So I take it you're going to investigate more?" asked Jill.

"That's right," Jeanne nodded before she turned to Luffy. "Luffy, if I hear anything about your navigator, I'll be sure to let you know, okay? And in exchange, if you hear anything that might be related to the riot, you'll tell me, won't you?"

"Sure thing!" Luffy grinned. "You scratch my back, I scratch yours!"

"Thanks, Luffy," Jeanne said before she turned and left. "Come on, Bella!"

Bella barked before she followed after Jeanne, leaving Luffy to stand in the plaza with Jill.

"Uhh...hmm...now what do I do?" Luffy asked.

"You should try looking into the base in the city," Jill suggested. "You might be able to glean something about your navigator from any nearby soldiers."

"Oh, good idea! Thanks!" Luffy replied before he turned and ran off...but then came back not 1 minute later. "Uh...where's the base, again?"

Jill could only sigh and shake her head in frustration. "No wonder he needs a navigator..."

XXX

After getting some directions from Jill, Luffy managed to reach the Marine base near the edge of the city, where he could see a few soldiers stationed, and they looked like they were rather frantic about something. Knowing that it might not be a good idea to be seen, Luffy hid behind some metal crates and peered around the corner so that he could be able to listen in on their conversation.

"What?!" questioned one of the soldiers. "She stole a list of battleship departures and the prisoner ledger?!"

"And a recent battle report, too," answered his fellow soldier. "Dammit, where did she run off to?!"

"Eyewitness reports say that she was headed west," answered the first soldier. "She has long orange hair with low-riders and a revealing bikini top."

Luffy quietly gasped. "Nami...!"

"West would put her in the slums," said a Marine gunman wearing a helmet. "That place is crawling with Anti-Marine folks! If she's there, we could have a hell of a time finding her!"

"Split up and search for her, and quick!" shouted a Marine scout, and with that, they soon ran off in search of the culprit, and it was then that Luffy came out of hiding.

"The slums, huh?" Luffy muttered before he broke into a run. "I better hurry and get over there before they do!" He then stretched his arms and grabbed onto a nearby flagpole. "Gum-Gum ROCKET!"

With that, he soon sent himself flying in the western direction, hoping to find his navigator there unscathed.

XXX

"...Whoa...!" Luffy muttered as he soon found himself in a practically barren part of the city, the ground is littered with scraps paper, broken glass bottles, and splinters of old wood. He could see a few people sitting on the dirty streets, some chatting about who-knows-what and others just looking plain forlorn. There were even some stray cats and dogs digging around in the trash, looking for whatever scraps they could eat.

To put it simply, this place looked like it had seen better days.

"Sheesh..." Luffy muttered as he walked through the dusty alleys. "When they said 'slums', they weren't kidding." He climbed over some old wooden boxes. "This kinda feels like the Gray Terminal back at home...or maybe even Edge Town." He then looked up at the sky, contemplating what he had just seen. "Rich people living in a big city...poor people living in small villages or not living in homes, at all...this is just like back in my home country..."

"Sure is hell, isn't it?" asked a brown-haired man of at least 40 years, gaining Luffy's attention. "To live like this."

"Those Pro-Marine pigs get to eat like royalty while we're left to pick up the scraps like a pack of feral dogs," said another man with a shaggy beard. "Things like this never happened back when the old leader was alive. They don't realize how hard the Marines have made life for us! That's why we refuse to give in to them!"

"Sounds rough, dude," Luffy said. "Oh, wait! I don't have time for that! Hey, have either of you guys seen an orange-haired girl around here?"

"Girl with orange hair?" asked the brown-haired man. "Can't say I have."

"Actually, I think I saw someone like that with Skinny Bones Stephen not that long ago," said the bearded man.

"Who's Skinny Bones Stephen?" asked Luffy.

"Just a guy we know," answered the bearded man. "He lives around here, just like the rest of us. Try looking in the northwest part of the slums. He tends to hang around there, sometimes."

"Thanks," Luffy said before he went to go find the aforementioned "Skinny Bones" Stephen. Deciding that he'd get a better view from higher up, he soon stretched his arms and took to the rooftops, much to the shock of the two men below. Once he got up on the roof of a building, he then took a look around. "Hmm...where are you, Nami...?" That's when he spotted some of the Marine soldiers from before, surrounding a scrawny-looking young man that was wearing shabby clothes and wore a brown cap on his head. "Hey! That might be that Skinny Bones guy!" He then jumped down to get a closer look.

"I said talk, damn you!" shouted the Marine soldier as he punched the young man in the gut, causing him to stumble back. "We know that you know, so tell us! Where is that orange-haired woman!? We had eyewitness reports saying that she was seen here, so where is she?!"

"I'm telling you...!" the young man groaned as he fell to his knees. "I don't know who you're talking about...!"

"Keeping a tight lip, eh?" asked the Marine gunman as he cracked his knuckles. "Well, maybe you need a little more convincing!"

"Hey! That's enough!"

The Marines gasped as they turned to see Luffy running up to them.

"Straw Hat Luffy?!" asked the gunman. "Get him, men!"

"Yes, sir!" the other soldiers shouted as they began to rush in. Big mistake.

"Gum-Gum...WHIP!" Luffy yelled as he stretched his leg out and soon kicked all three Marines into the wall in no time at all, thus vanquishing them in an instant. "Well...that takes care of those guys."

"Whoa...!" whispered the young man in awe. "That was amazing!"

"Eh, it's nothing, really," Luffy shrugged. "Oh! Hey, are you Skinny Bones Stephen?"

"Yeah, that's me," said Stephen. "They call me that on account of how scrawny I am. What can I do for you?"

"Have you seen Nami around here?" asked Luffy.

"Nami?" Stephen repeated as he put a hand to his chin in thought. "Hmm...Nami...oh! That orange-haired girl with the bikini top, right?"

"Yeah! She's my girlfriend!" Luffy answered. "I heard she might be here!"

"Sorry, but she's not here, anymore," Stephen answered. "She was being chased by those Marines, so I helped her get away. She's probably downtown by now, northwest from here. If you hurry, you might be able to find here there."

"Downtown...got it," Luffy nodded. "Thanks for your help!"

"No, thank _you _for getting me out of that mess!" Stephen grinned. "I owe you one!" He then turned and walked away. "Anyway, see ya around! And thanks again!"

"Shishishi! No problem!" Luffy laughed.

"Luffy! There you are!"

"Huh?" Luffy muttered as he turned to see Jeanne and Bella walking up to him. "Oh! Hey, Jeanne and Bella!"

_"We heard a commotion and came over," _said Bella. _"Is everything okay?"_

"Yep!" Luffy said. "Just had to deal with a little Marine problem."

"Did you find any leads?" Jeanne asked, and it wasn't very long before Luffy explained his findings to her.

"And that's how I ended up here," he concluded.

"Hmm...it sounds like that girl you're looking for just might be Nami," Jeanne said. "Judging by what you told me, it sounds like she got her hands on some confidential Marine information to confirm if any of your other crewmates had been captured: a list of battleship departures, a battle report, and a prisoner ledger...it's quite a trove of important info."

"Hmm...I wonder..." Luffy contemplated.

"It looks like Bella and I aren't the only ones who are investigating who started the riot," said Jeanne. "Whoever the perpetrator was, they still haven't been caught yet. If we could get our hands on that battle report and the prisoner ledger, we might be able to catch the one who was behind it."

_"That's great, isn't it, Luffy?"_ Bella asked. _"You find your navigator and we find whoever started the riot! We kill two birds with one stone!"_

"Sounds right to me," Luffy said.

"I just hope that Nami's all right, though," said Jeanne.

"I'm not too worried about Nami," Luffy answered. "She knows how to give them the slip."

"Even so," Jeanne began, "she snuck into a Marine base and stole vital information. Why would she do that, knowing how dangerous it is?"

"I know Nami," Luffy said. "She might be a bit of a scaredy-cat sometimes, but when push comes to shove, she'll do whatever it takes to help her friends out. That's one of the reasons why I'm gonna marry her, after all!"

"...For her friends, huh?" Jeanne asked.

_"Wait, marry her?"_ Bella repeated.

"Anyway, enough chitchat!" Luffy exclaimed. "We gotta hurry and find her! Jeanne, do you know where downtown is?"

"It's at the front of the Marine base," said Jeanne.

"Hey! I know where that is!" Luffy answered before he ran off. "Hang on, Nami! I'm coming!"

"Wait! Wait for me!" Jeanne called as she ran after him.

XXX

"Nami~!" Luffy called as he found himself back near the marketplace in front of the Marine base gates, again. "Nami, are you here?!"

"Luffy, keep it down...!" Jeanne whispered. "If she is here, she's probably still hiding from the Marines. We don't wanna give her away."

"But she's around here, somewhere," said Luffy as he looked around...but all he could see were kiosks for ice cream, cakes, hot dogs, kebabs, and other foods. "Ugh...and seeing all this food isn't helping me concentrate on her."

_"I'm sure she's fine, Luffy," _Bella assured. _"You said it yourself, she's good at giving people the slip, right?"_

"Yeah, that's true," Luffy said. "I just hope we find her soon...I'm actually starting to get a little worried about her."

"Luffy?"

Luffy gasped before he turned around...and sure enough, there was Nami hiding behind an ice cream kiosk!

"Nami!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Luffy!" Nami cheered as she ran toward him and jumped into his arms, causing them both to laugh as the former kissed the latter on the lips...and seeing it did make Jeanne smile at them warmly, as did Bella.

"Man, are you a sight for sore eyes, babe!" Luffy said.

"You, too," Nami smiled. "I was really worried about you, you know."

"Hey! Over here!"

Jeanne gasped as she saw several Marines approaching the square, armed to the teeth with guns and swords.

"That girl's gotta be around here, somewhere," said one of them.

"Uh-oh," Jeanne muttered before she turned to Luffy and Nami. "Quick! Hide somewhere!"

Nami gasped before she grabbed Luffy and pulled him underneath the kiosk shelf where she was just hiding.

"Hey, why are you we hiding?!" Luffy asked in a bit of a loud whisper. "I could easily-"

"Shh~!" Nami shushed as she covered his mouth. "Just be quiet for now...!"

"Hey, you there!" said one of the Marines as he and his troop approached Jeanne and Bella.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" asked Jeanne.

"We're looking for an orange-haired woman wearing a bikini top," said a Marine swordsman. "The latter stole some very vital information from us."

"Hmm...orange hair..." Jeanne muttered. "Oh! I think I know who you're talking about!"

"What is she doing...?!" Nami whispered with her hand still over Luffy's mouth. "What is she gonna tell them...?!"

"Mmm-mm-hmmmph...!" Luffy tried to say, but his voice was muffled.

"She's...a friend of mine," said Jeanne. "Last I saw her, she said she was going to Halcum Port after meeting up with her boyfriend! They were gonna elope together!"

Bella vigorously nodded her head in affirmation while Nami dropped her jaw.

"Elope...?!" she whispered. "Seriously...?!"

"Well, we are getting married, one day, aren't we?" Luffy asked, only for Nami to glare at him, which caused him to gulp nervously. "Right...not the time. Sorry."

"Halcum Port, huh?" asked the Marine lieutenant. "Let's go, men!"

"Yes, sir!" the other soldiers exclaimed as they ran off to Halcum Port...and not long after, Jeanne sighed in relief before she turned to where Luffy and Nami were hiding.

"They're gone now," she said. "You can come out."

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Thanks for that, Jeanne! You saved our bacon, just now!"

"Yeah, thanks," Nami added, "but did you have to say that we were eloping?"

"Sorry, I panicked a little and it was the first thing I could think of off the top of my head," said Jeanne.

_"At least it got the Marines to look somewhere else, right?"_ asked Bella.

"That's true," Nami agreed. "So...Jeanne, right?"

"Yes, that's right," Jeanne nodded before she gestured to Bella, "and this here is Bella, my dog."

Bella barked before she raised her paw, causing Nami to giggle as she gently shook it.

"Well, hello to you, too," she said.

"Nami, Jeanne helped me out after I fell from the Sky Prison," Luffy spoke up. "I would have drowned if it wasn't for her!"

"Is that right?" Nami asked before she turned and bowed her head at Jeanne. "Thank you, Jeanne...and it's very nice to meet you. I'm Nami, Luffy's navigator and fiancé."

"It's nice to meet you, too," Jeanne replied with a warm smile.

"Nice to see you guys are getting along," Luffy said, "but Nami, I heard you were trying to find out where the others are. Did you happen to find anything?"

"Oh, that's right!" Nami exclaimed. "Thanks for reminding me, Luffy. I've got some news, and it's not good: Robin and Franky have been captured!"

"What?!" Luffy questioned while Jeanne and Bella gasped. "Where are they?!"

"Franky's being held in some place called the Sea Prison," Nami began, "and Robin is being held in a place called the Tourmaline Prison Tower."

"What about the others?" Luffy asked.

"Well, I looked and I saw that Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Blizzard, and Brook haven't been caught, yet," Nami answered, "but I don't know where they could be. We all got separated. That reminds me, you wouldn't happen to know where Chopper, Aika, and Kumi are, would you?"

"Chopper is at the ship in Amber Harbor with Aika and Kumi," Luffy answered. "They're all safe."

"Oh, good," Nami said in relief. "It was a little nerve-wracking, but it was worth sneaking into that Marine base."

"By yourself?" Jeanne asked. "That's awfully brave of you, Nami."

"Well...I wouldn't call it brave," Nami said, sheepishly. "Though, I guess I got lucky since there weren't that many guards around due to some riot that broke out some time ago."

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something about that," Jeanne said, "if you don't mind."

"Uh...sure, go ahead," said Nami.

"Could I see that battle report and the prisoner ledger that you stole?" Jeanne asked. "Please?"

"Uh...okay," Nami answered as she presented the papers that Jeanne spoke of. "Here you go. Don't know what you hope to find in them, though."

"Hmm..." Jeanne hummed as she flipped through the pages of the papers. "Oh! Here it is! It says that the one who instigated the riot was a pirate named 'Piranha'." She then looked at the prisoner ledger and looked it from top to bottom. "But I don't see his name on this ledger...it looks to me he hasn't been caught yet. I wonder why..."

_"Maybe the Marines let him go on purpose,"_ Bella pointed out.

"At any rate," Jeanne began, "this Piranha guy was definitely the one behind the riot. I'm certain of it!"

"Hmm...I think I heard his name somewhere before, too," Nami pointed out.

"You did?" Jeanne asked.

"Oh, right! Now I remember!" Nami exclaimed. "It was back when I was hiding out in the slums before Stephen helped me. I saw somebody acting pretty suspicious, and he had a couple of lackeys with him. I saw them lugging around a bunch of weapons, too...they looked like they were up to no good, too."

"Weapons?!" Jeanne questioned in horror. "Oh, no...they might try and start another riot! I've gotta stop them!" With that, she soon ran back toward the slums.

"Hey, wait!" Nami cried. "Stop them how?!"

_"Jeanne, no! Come back!"_ Bella cried as she ran after her owner. _"It could be dangerous!"_

"Those guys sounded like pirates to me," Nami said. "It'd be dangerous for someone like Jeanne to go and confront them on her own!"

"You know, Nami," Luffy began, "Jeanne was saying the same thing about you, too."

"She did?" Nami asked in surprise, causing her captain to nod his head. "Well...I guess she's right. I can't really help trying to help people when they're in trouble, too. Come on, Luffy! Let's go and help her!"

"All right! It's ass-kickin' time!" Luffy exclaimed before he stretched his arm and grabbed onto a rooftop. "Grab on, Nami, and hang on tight!"

"Trust me, I plan to!" Nami said as she climbed onto Luffy's back and clung to his shoulders, and it wasn't long before they were soon flying across the city, once more.

XXX

Meanwhile, in the slums of Steel City...

"What the hell do you want?"

"You're Piranha, aren't you? You've got some explaining to do!"

Jeanne and Bella stood before a hulking brute of a pirate. He had on a helmet that looked like a Hercules Beetle, as well as a giant shoulder plate, black fingerless gloves, and a pair of axes strapped to his back. Beside him were two average-sized pirates, one whose hair was slicked back and armed with a saber and the other having a pompadour style while he had a rifle strapped to his back.

"Why are you smuggling weapons into the city?!" Jeanne questioned.

"Weapons?" repeated Piranha, the hulking, brutish pirate. "Oh, you mean these guns and such. They're just self-defense, little missy. After all, things have gotten pretty dicey around here."

"Yeah, he's right!" agreed the pompadour pirate, who grinned maliciously. "After all, you never know when another riot might break out!"

"Yeah, a riot that YOU started!" Jeanne shouted as she pointed at Piranha. "I know it was you! I saw your name in the battle report! What do you hope to gain from any of this?! Or maybe...you're acting on someone's orders!"

Piranha and his two crones seemed to tense up for a moment, but then the former growled as he cracked his knuckles and beared down on Jeanne and Bella, threateningly.

"You don't know when to shut your mouth, do you?" asked Piranha, causing Jeanne to gasp silently as she stepped back a bit.

"You want us to get rid of her, Boss?" asked the pirate with the slicked-back hair.

"Hold it right there!"

Jeanne and Bella gasped as they turned to see Luffy and Nami running into the fray.

"Luffy! Nami!" Jeanne exclaimed.

_"What are you doing here?"_ Bella asked.

"What do you think?" Luffy asked. "We came to help you out!"

"Hey, I know you!" shouted pompadour pirate. "You're that woman that stole from the Marine base!"

"Oh, so you know about me, huh?" Nami asked. "Maybe one of your Marines buddies told you about me, huh?"

"So you know what's been going on around here, huh?" asked Piranha. "Well, in that case, you're in for a whole world of hurt, missy!"

"Jeanne, you and Bella get back!" Nami urged.

"O-okay!" Jeanne answered as she and her dog soon got out of the way.

"Luffy, you take Piranha!" Nami said as she brought out her Sorcery Clima-Tact. "I'll take the other two!"

"Then let's get 'em!" Luffy exclaimed as he charged at Piranha, who roared as he tried to cut him down with his two axes, only for the Straw Hat Captain to easily sidestep out of the way, then he jumped up and kicked him in the jaw, sending him stumbling backward. However, he didn't relent, for he soon charged at Luffy and tried to swing one of his axes at him, only for him to jump over the blade as it chopped into the brick wall to his left, leaving him wide open for Luffy to punch him right in the stomach.

While he was busy, Nami grunted as she managed to block a slash of a sword from one of Piranha's lackeys. However, she didn't seem to notice that the other was about to shoot her from behind with his rifle, causing Jeanne to gasp.

"Watch out!" Jeanne cried, but it seemed she was too late to warn Nami, who turned around just as the pirate opened fire on her...but to his shock, Nami vanished into thin air!

"What the-?!" he questioned. "Where did she go?!"

"What's the matter? Don't you know a mirage when you see one?"

The two pirates looked up, only to gasp as they saw Nami standing on top of a stack of crates, a chain of Thundercloud Weather Balls forming from the tip of her Sorcery Clima-Tact.

"Black Ball...RAIUN ROD!" Nami shouted as she swung the chain at the two pirates, causing them to scream as they were shocked right to the very core. Before long, they both collapsed onto the ground, charred to a crisp.

"Wow...!" Jeanne whispered in awe.

"Luffy, how are you holding up?" Nami asked.

"Nothin' to it!" Luffy answered as he easily jumped over Piranha as he tried to hit him with both his axes, again, but once again, he dodged out of the way. "This guy's a joke!"

"What did you say?!" Piranha questioned as he tried to punch Luffy in the face, only for the Straw Hat Captain to grab him by the arm and give an almost devilish grin, causing him to gulp nervously. "Uh-oh..."

Soon, Luffy began to twist his arms around before he ran down the alley, pulling Piranha along behind him before he started to spin him around, causing him to scream as he began to rise into the air.

"GUUUUM...GUUUUUUM...HAMMER~!" Luffy roared before he slammed Piranha headfirst into the ground, creating a massive crater and completely shattering his ax blades, thus defeating Piranha and his two men.

"And that is that," Nami smirked before she looked to Jeanne and Bella. "Are you guys all right?"

"We're fine," Jeanne replied. "Thanks to you."

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "No problem!"

"Umm...I have to ask you one thing, though," said Jeanne. "This business with Piranha and the riot didn't have anything to do with you guys...so why would you help me?"

"Why not?" Luffy asked. "You helped us out! You scratch my back, I scratch yours, remember?"

"...Luffy..." Jeanne whispered.

"Don't overthink it, Jeanne," said Nami. "That's just how Luffy is. Think of this is as our way of thanking you for getting rid of those Marines for us."

"Me?" Jeanne repeated. "But you saved our lives! We should be thanking you!"

Bella barked in agreement, wagging her tail happily.

"All right, now that that's outta the way," Luffy began, "let's go save Robin and Franky! And find the others while we're at it!"

"Right!" Nami agreed...but then, **GUUUUUUUURRRGLE!** Luffy's stomach let out a bellowing growl, causing him to slump as he put his hands around it.

"Umm...can we eat first, though?" Luffy asked.

"Oh, Luffy..." Nami groaned before she smiled. "Sure, let's get some food, first. I'm a little hungry, myself, to be honest."

"Yay, meat!" Luffy cheered.

"I'm guessing this is a regular thing with him?" asked Jeanne.

"Pretty much," Nami shrugged.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

Man, this was really long! But worth it!

Review, please!


	7. Ch 6- Straw Hats Reunited, Part 1

**Ch. 6- Straw Hats Reunited**

**Part 1- The Sea Prison**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Jupiter, Lucky, and Bella © Me

* * *

After Luffy had eaten his fill at a barbecue restaurant in the city, he, Nami, Jeanne, and Bella soon congregated to the plaza to discuss a plan on how to rescue Franky and Robin.

"This could be tricky," said Nami. "Sneaking into the Marine base nearby was easy...but these prisons might be tougher nuts to crack."

"Eh," Luffy shrugged as he lounged on a bench. "I'm sure we'll work it out somehow."

"Luffy, be realistic here, for once," Nami said. "We have no idea how these prisons are laid out on the inside. We've really gotta step up our game here! I had a hard enough time trying to infiltrate the Sky Prison, you know!" She then groaned in disdain. "Even worse, the treasure that was rumored to be in there was just a trap. God, I feel so stupid!"

"There might be treasure in the Sea Prison that you can steal," Luffy pointed.

"Maybe...but I'm not getting my hopes up until I actually see it for myself," Nami said. "Hmm...if we just had a way to figure out how the Sea Prison works."

"Umm...excuse me," Jeanne said, getting the two Straw Hats' attention. "I think I can help. I do have a pretty good idea of the layouts of the prisons. I can guide you using the Mini Transponder Snail that Chopper lent to me."

"Wait, say what?!" Nami asked in surprise. "Who are you, anyway, Jeanne?"

"She's the leader of the island's Anti-Marine faction!" Luffy answered.

"That's right," Jeanne nodded. "I have a few friends of mine look into the Marines, and they find information about how the prisons are laid out, too! Pretty handy, wouldn't you say?"

"That is pretty handy," Nami said before her face contorted into a concerned expression, "but...are you sure about this? We wouldn't want you being a branded a criminal for getting involved with us, you know."

"I'll be all right," Jeanne reassured while Bella barked in agreement.

"See? Jeanne's got this!" Luffy said. "Thanks a lot, Jeanne. This'll be a huge help!"

"Of course!" Jeanne replied. "You scratch my back, I scratch yours, remember?"

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "You got it!"

"The Sea Prison is closer to Steel City," Nami began, "so I guess we'll start from there. I think it only makes sense we rescue Franky first. After all, he needs to check and see if the _Sunny_ is seaworthy."

"Right! Then let's get a move on!" Luffy exclaimed.

XXX

Across the long winding stone bridge where several (destroyed) Marine lookout towers were stationed and a good many Marine soldiers' bodies were strewn about, there sits a large building built with steel walls all around and was surrounded by Marine soldiers. Inside, it looked like just a regular ring, chock full of metal crates and a pool of seawater right in the middle, and on one side was some sort of mechanism.

**"Nami, it's Jeanne. Did you and Luffy make it to the Sea Prison?"**

"Yeah, Luffy and I made it," Nami whispered as she and Luffy stood on top of the wall.

**"Now listen. Your friend is probably being held at the sixth basement floor, the deepest level of the prison."**

"Uh...Jeanne?" Luffy asked as he looked at the pool of water in the center of the prison. "That might be a problem. All we see is a big pool of water...and while I am good at sinking, I can't get back up on my own."

**"There should be some sort of mechanism that drains the water. Look for it and hit the switch."**

"I think I see it," Nami answered as she spotted the mechanism on the far side of the pool...surrounded by patrolling Marine soldiers. "Looks like it's heavily guarded." She smirked as she glanced over at Luffy. "Luffy, you think you can-"

"Way ahead of ya," Luffy grinned as he already jumped off the wall, immediately getting the attention of the Marines. Before they could react fast enough, the Straw Hat Captain soon unleashed a flurry of punches, pummeling them in seconds flat. While Luffy was busy with the guards, Nami carefully made her way down and headed over to the drain switch, slinking as quietly as a cat would. However, as she neared the switch, she gasped as she was suddenly grabbed from behind by one of the soldiers, who grinned as he tried to hold her wrists.

"Gotcha now, little kitty," he said in an almost sultry voice.

"I got news for you, buddy," Nami said before she grabbed the Marine by his arm. "This kitty has claws!" With a yell, she threw him over her shoulder and slammed him into the ground, causing him to cry out in pain before he was soon knocked out cold. After she dusted her hands, she looked over and saw that Luffy had made short work of the rest of the soldiers, as well.

"All clear, Nami~!" Luffy called.

"Great!" Nami answered before she went over and pushed the button on the device, causing the water to drain away.

"Cool!" Luffy said as he looked down. "The water's gone!"

"Yeah...but not completely," Nami said as she soon noticed that the water had only drained down to the second floor, and though it was a bit dark, she could see a few more Marines patrolling the inside and several cages hanging around the prison. "And it looks like there are more guards on the second floor then there were on the first." She then held up her Mini Transponder Snail. "Jeanne, what do we do?"

**"There should be another switch that you should press to drain the water on the second floor, too,"** said Jeanne. **"Just be careful going down there, and watch out for red beams!"**

"Ooh, beams!" Luffy exclaimed in excitement.

"Luffy!" Nami snapped.

"Right, not the time," Luffy said before he grabbed the navigator and then slowly lowered the both of them down, using his arm to rappel to the lower floor. Once they were down, they began to carefully make their way down the stairs, but as they did, Luffy miscalculated where his foot would go and he ended up slipping on a puddle of water, causing him to yell as he fell down the stairs while Nami ducked to avoid him.

"I'm all right!" Luffy called while Nami sighed...but then, she gasped in shock when she saw several guards headed right for them, having been drawn by her captain's not-so-subtle entrance. "Uh...Luffy!"

"I got this!" Luffy shouted as he got up and charged at the guards. "You hurry and find that switch, Nami! I'll keep you covered!"

"Be careful!" Nami answered as she ran onto the platform, running straight for the switch.

"Gum-Gum JET PISTOL!" Luffy yelled as he struck one of the guards with a single shot, then threw the other two guards into the water. A fourth one tried to rush him from behind him, attempting to stab him with a knife, but the Straw Hat Captain easily sidestepped out of the way before he swung his fist and struck him in the face, knocking him out cold.

As for Nami, she was about to make it to the switch, but then she gasped as three more Marines surrounded her, causing her to glare at them as they backed her into a corner...but then she grinned before she momentarily glanced up, and at first, the Marines seemed a bit confused...until they looked up and saw a huge thundercloud overhead. They gasped in horror, realizing all too late what was about to happen...before they were shocked by a massive thunderbolt, knocking them all out as Nami made her way over to the mechanism and pressed the button, causing the water to drain, once more.

"All right!" Luffy exclaimed. "That's two switches down!"

"Next one's the third floor," Nami said. "We pretty much know the whole routine, now."

On that, the two Straw Hats made their way down to the next floor...but before they could, Nami gasped as she held her arm out in front of Luffy, stopping him in his tracks.

"Hey, what gives?!" Luffy asked.

"Look!" Nami said as she pointed at a grid of red laser beams, and beyond that were two guards standing in front of the switch device. "This must have been what Jeanne was talking about." She then looked at Luffy with a serious expression. "Luffy, listen to me. We can't touch those lights, got it? If we touch them, we'll set off an alarm and we could get captured."

"So what should we do?" Luffy asked. "We can't get past them."

"Hmm...there should be..." Nami muttered as she saw a red light flashing from the walls. "Aha! Luffy, see those devices up there? See if you can smash them from here! Then we can sneak up on the guards, no problem!"

"Got it!" Luffy grinned as he rolled his shoulder, causing it to pop, then held up his hand like he was looking through a crosshair. After taking a well-aimed shot, he soon destroyed both lights, causing the beams to disappear. Once they saw that they were in the clear, Luffy smirked as he quietly snuck up on the two guards...and then he slammed their heads together, knocking them both out.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Man, this is so fun!"

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Nami humored as she soon pressed the switch, causing the water to drain once more.

"All right! Let's find that next switch!" Luffy declared before he looked down and saw that all the water was practically gone, by now. "Oh, hey! Check it out! The water's all gone!"

"Hey, you're right!" Nami exclaimed as she looked down, as well.

**"Nami? Luffy?" **Jeanne asked, causing the navigator to hold up her Mini Transponder Snail again. **"How's it going?"**

"We drained the water on the third floor," Nami answered, "but it looks like it's all gone."

"Does that mean we can go to the bottom, now?" Luffy asked.

**"No, not yet. The water's only gone down to the fifth floor. These next switches are a little complex, so listen carefully, okay?"**

"Got it," Nami nodded.

"Yeah, we're all ears, Jeanne!" Luffy answered.

**"Okay, here's what you have to do: the next three switches have to be pressed one after the other and they're all timed. You have 3 minutes to flip all three of them, otherwise, you'll have to start all over again. You got it?"**

"Yeah, we got it," Nami answered before she glanced over at Luffy. "Luffy, did you hear what she- HUH?!"

"Zzz...zzz..." Luffy snored, his head drooping and a snot bubble forming in his nose.

"WAKE UP, YOU IDIOT!" Nami yelled as she smacked Luffy on his head, causing a huge bump to form.

"OW!" Luffy cried.

"For god's sake..." Nami grumbled. "Listen, Luffy. Since I'm the one who has to flip the switches, you'll have to distract the guards for me. Try and keep them busy for as long as you can, okay?"

"Right!" Luffy agreed as he punched a fist into his hand. "Let's do it!"

With that, the two began to make their charge down into the lower floors. Luffy soon gave a loud yell as he rushed out, gaining the guards' attention before they began to charge back, trying to pile on top of him. However, Luffy quickly pushed them off before they could overwhelm him (not like they could do so, to begin with), but as soon as he dealt with them, more started coming from the lower levels of the prisons and out the corridors, armed to the teeth with guns and swords. Regardless, Luffy charged on, using his Gum-Gum Jet Gatling to make short work of the Marines while Nami hurried over to the first switch, which she quickly turned on.

"That's one," she said before she hurried down to the next floor while Luffy followed, knowing he had to cover his navigator. As soon as they reached the next floor, more Marines soon appeared, preparing to run them through with their sabers, but Luffy soon struck them down using his Gum-Gum Jet Whip and Jet Bazooka in succession, quickly dispatching them before they could so much as lift a finger. While he was busy, Nami made her way over to the next switch but shrieked as she ducked down to avoid a gunshot from one of the Marines, who grinned as he held a machine gun in his hands.

"I've got Cat Burglar cornered over here!" he shouted...but not long after he said that, he was met with a sandal stretching out and kicking him right in the face, sending him crashing into a wall before Luffy retracted his foot.

"Phew!" Nami sighed in relief as she came out of hiding. "Thanks, Luffy!"

"No problem!" Luffy called as Nami pressed the button on the device.

"2 down, one more to go!" Nami said, and soon, she and Luffy headed down to the next floor. "We've only got about 2 minutes, Luffy!"

"Got it!" Luffy exclaimed as he charged at the Marines, once again, just as they were starting to do the same. "Gum-Gum UFO!"

Twisting and spinning his waist, Luffy soon kicked the Marines out of his and Nami's way as the latter made her way over to the next switch, but as she attempted to do so, three more Marines tried to grab her from behind.

"NAMI, WATCH OUT!" Luffy shouted, causing her to shriek as she ducked down. Not long after he gave his warning, Luffy stretched his fist, punching all three Marines away at once before he pulled his arm back.

"What would I do without you, babe?" Nami asked as she soon pressed the switch, once again, thus causing the water to drain completely.

"We did it!" Luffy exclaimed. "No more water!"

**"Great job, you two!"** Jeanne exclaimed on the snail. **"Now, go see if you can find your friend! It should be safe, now!"**

"Come on, Luffy," Nami said as she and her captain headed down the stairs, where they could see many cell doors surrounding them. "Hmm...lots of cells, but I don't know which one Franky's behind."

"Hmmm..." Luffy hummed, thoughtfully as he looked at the cells, then closed his eyes as he activated his Observation Haki. With it, he soon saw a familiar shape behind one of the cell doors: large, bulky with thin legs, and a pompadour hairstyle. "There! In the cell in front of us!"

"Good work, Luffy!" Nami said as they soon made their way to the cell. "Franky! Are you in there?"

"Huh? Who's that out there?"

"It's us, Luffy and Nami!" Luffy answered. "We're here to bail you out!"

"Luffy? Nami?" Franky asked. "Ha! SUPER good to hear you guys!"

"Just hang on, Franky!" Nami said. "We'll get you outta there!" As she looked around, she saw a console next to the door. "This looks like the control panel for the cells...but I don't know the code to open the cell Franky's in."

"What if we just push this button?" Luffy asked as he pressed a random button.

"No, wait!" Nami cried, but it was too late: an alarm soon blared out throughout the prison while the whole place was washed in an ominous red light.

**"INITIATING PACIFISTA SECURITY PROTOCOL..."**

"Uh...did it say...?" Nami started, but then she and Luffy both tensed as they heard a resounding thud...and as they turned, they soon saw what made it: a Pacifista cyborg. "...Uh-oh...!"

"Straw Hat Luffy...Cat Burglar Nami..." the Pacifista droned. "Commencing attack."

Almost instantly, Luffy's expression turned serious as he clenched his fists.

"Nami," he said. "Get clear. I'll handle this."

"Right," Nami nodded as she ran to a safe distance.

"...I know you're not..._that_ guy," Luffy said as he cracked his knuckles, "but even so...I'm not gonna let you get in my way!"

As if to respond, the Pacifista raised his hand and fired a beam at Luffy, who disappeared in a flash before reappearing behind the human weapon, his body steaming as he held up his hand.

"JET PISTOL!" he yelled as he shot his fist at the back of the cyborg's head, causing him to stumble forward for a moment, but then he turned and opened his mouth, firing several beams at Luffy, who ran as fast as he could to avoid getting blasted, even running up along the walls while Nami watched from one of the higher platforms.

"Be careful, babe!" Nami called out as Luffy somersaulted from the wall and stretched his leg out as far as it could go.

"JET BATTLE AX!" he shouted as he slammed his foot on top of the Pacifista's head, causing his jaw to slam shut, just as he was about fire another beam, which soon exploded inside his mouth. The resulting shock soon caused static electricity to crackle from his body as he started shooting beams from his hands, all around.

"YIKES!" Nami screamed as she narrowly avoided getting hit. "Luffy, hurry and finish him before he destroys the whole place!"

"You got it!" Luffy answered as he ran at the Kuma-copy while stretching his arm back, setting it ablaze as he did. "Now Gum-Gum...RED HAAAAAAAAAWWK!"

With a combustible punch to the chest, the Pacifista was sent crashing into the cell doors...and after giving an eerie mechanical whining sound, the cyborg soon exploded, leaving several metal parts.

"Well, that takes care of that," Luffy said before he turned to see Nami walking down the stairs. "You okay, Nami?"

"Yeah, I'm all right," Nami answered. "Are you okay?"

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Never better!"

"Good," Nami said...before she smacked him on the head, once again.

"OUCH!" Luffy shouted. "What was that for?!"

"That's for being too hasty and pushing buttons!" Nami shouted.

"Oh, come on, are you-" Luffy started...but then, Nami grabbed him by the collar of his cardigan and kissed him on the lips, causing him to let out a muffled noise of surprise before she pulled away with a wily smirk.

"And that's for winning the fight," she said.

"...Uh...yeah..." Luffy muttered with a blushing face, but then he shook his head. "Uh...where were we?"

"Letting me outta here!" Franky called from inside his cell.

"Oh, right!" Nami exclaimed as she went up to the console. "Jeanne, do you know the code to get Franky's cell door open?"

**"Yeah, I do,"** Jeanne answered. **"Just put in the code 3-6-1-0-9-5."**

"3-6-1-0-9-5..." Nami whispered as she pressed the buttons in that order, and soon after, the cell door began to open, revealing Franky standing behind it.

"OW!" he shouted as he struck his signature pose. "Man, it feels SUPER great to get outta there!"

"Hey, Franky," Nami greeted.

"You okay, man?" Luffy asked.

"Never better, actually!" Franky answered. "Although if you guys came about a day or two later, I would've been hacked to pieces by those chumps!"

"Wait, what?!" Nami questioned.

"What were the Marines doing to you?!" Luffy asked, angrily.

"Well, I am the greatest weirdo in the world, aren't I?" Franky boasted. "I can't say I blame them for bein' interested in this SUPER body of mine! UHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Ahahahaha!" Luffy laughed. "I guess that's true!"

"I highly doubt you being a weirdo is the reason..." Nami deadpanned.

"But in all seriousness," Franky said, "their boss especially sure seemed interested in my body."

"Wait, the warden?" Nami asked.

"Oh, yeah, robot guy," Luffy said. "I wonder why, though."

**"Luffy! Nami!"** Jeanne called from the snail. **"I'm sure you guys have some catching up to do, but now's not the time for idle chitchat! You guys better get out of there before more Marines decide to show up!"**

"Hey, now," Franky said. "I don't think I recognize that voice. Who's that on the other end, you two?"

"Oh, right! This is Jeanne!" Luffy answered. "You see, it all started when I-"

"Didn't you hear Jeanne just say save it?!" Nami asked. "Come on, let's get out of here and head back to Steel City!"

"You got it!" Franky answered. "And I already know a perfect way out!" He then squat down. "Coup de-"

"We are NOT flying out of here using one of your nasty cola farts!" Nami shouted.

"Aww~!" Luffy and Franky whined.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

I don't blame ya at all, Nami.

Review, please!


	8. Ch 6- Straw Hats Reunited, Part 2

**Ch. 6- Straw Hats Reunited**

**Part 2- Crying Wolf**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Jupiter, Lucky, and Bella © Me

* * *

"Welcome back, you three!" Jeanne greeted as Luffy, Nami, and Franky approached her and Bella. The two had been waiting in the Steel City back alleys for quite some time and they were getting quite worried, but thankfully, they managed to make it back in one piece (no pun intended).

"Hey, Jeanne!" Luffy greeted back.

"We made it back, and we found Franky, too!" Nami said.

"So, you're this 'Jeanne' lady I've been hearin' about, huh?" Franky asked. "You've got real guts, girly, helpin' my friends get me outta jail!"

_"We were starting to think something might have happened to you guys,"_ said Bella. _"We're so glad to see that you're okay."_

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed.

"Thanks for your help, Jeanne," Nami said. "Franky and I will head to Amber Harbor so he can take a look at the _Sunny_."

"You can SUPER leave it to me!" Franky declared. "You need anything, just give ol' Franky a call!"

"I'll keep that in mind," Jeanne smiled before she looked at Luffy. "So, Luffy, what are you gonna do, now?"

"Hmm..." Luffy pondered. "Well...we just busted Franky outta jail...and Robin's still being held up in someplace called the Prison Tower, right?"

"Yeah, that's true," Nami mused. "I almost forgot about Robin...do you want me to go with you?"

"Nah, you and Franky head back without me," Luffy said. "After I rescue Robin, I'll do some exploring around the island. Who knows? I might even find the others while I'm at it!"

"If you say so," Nami said before she looked to Jeanne. "Jeanne, you think you and Bella might be able to help Luffy out?"

"Of course!" Jeanne answered. "I'd be glad to!"

"Thanks," Nami smiled before she and Franky turned to leave. "See you back at the _Sunny_, Luffy!"

"Hope you rescue Robin, soon!" Franky added.

"See you later, guys!" Luffy waved before he looked to Jeanne. "So, Jeanne, where's Prison Tower?"

"It's actually not far from Jade Bridge," Jeanne answered. "To get there, you have to go past Ruby Village."

"Jade Bridge, past Ruby Village," Luffy noted. "Uh...quick question."

"Yes?" Jeanne asked.

"Which way is Jade Bridge, again?" Luffy asked, causing Jeanne to sigh and shake her head.

_'And this guy is supposed to be a pirate captain?'_ thought Bella as she tilted her head, bemused.

XXX

It took quite a while, but eventually, Jeanne, Bella, and Luffy managed to reach Ruby Village. It was a small rural place, not quite as big as Sapphire Town, and there were several fields laid out, used for growing vegetables and fruit orchards, not to mention paddocks for livestock such as cattle and sheep. As soon as they entered the town, they were greeted pleasantly by the villagers.

"Hey, there, Jeanne!" called a young man with a scruffy beard and black hair. "Good to see ya!"

"Hi, Drake!" Jeanne called back.

"Who's your friend, there, Jeanne?" asked an old woman. "He's quite the cute one, I must say!"

"W-what are you getting at, Olga?!" Jeanne questioned, her face turning pink. "Luffy and I just met, and we're only friends!"

"If you say so," the old woman, Olga, quipped.

"Friendly folks you got around here," Luffy grinned. "Shishishi!"

"Yeah, you can say that again," Jeanne said.

"Jeanne! Jeanne~!"

"Huh?" Jeanne muttered as she turned to see a little boy with tanned skin and a helmet over his head, wearing a purple scarf, a tattered beige shirt, and dark green shorts. "Tory? What's up?"

"Jeanne, you gotta come quick!" cried the boy, Tory. "Please, it's an emergency!"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down!" Jeanne urged. "Just relax and tell me what's up!"

"Yeah, what's all the commotion?" Luffy asked.

"You're not gonna believe this!" Tory shouted. "I just saw a wolf!"

"A...a wolf?" Jeanne repeated.

"A wolf?!" Luffy asked, excitedly. "Cool!"

"Tory, are you sure it was a wolf and not a large feral dog that looked like one?" asked Jeanne. "Wolves don't live on this island."

"But Jeanne, I saw one!" Tory cried. "You gotta believe me! He was a HUGE wolf with white fur and pink eyes!"

Luffy gasped quietly. "White fur and pink eyes...?" He then put his hands on the boy's shoulder. "Hey, kid! What else did you see on this wolf? Did he have some kind of silver chain? Or a scarf around his neck?!"

"Uh...actually, yeah! I did see those things!" Tory answered. "And he had a scar on his shoulder and on his nose!"

"That's Blizzard!" Luffy exclaimed as he stood straight up.

"Who's Blizzard?" Jeanne inquired.

"He's our guard dog," Luffy answered, "and my best pal!"

"Oh, man, he's your dog?" Tory asked, worriedly. "That's not good...my Dad just took his gun and went out into the forest to shoot him! He's afraid that he might come and try and eat our sheep!"

"What?!" Luffy questioned. "Shoot him?!"

"Did you say the forest?!" Jeanne asked, also getting worried. "Tory, that place is crawling with pirates, not to mention that the Marines often patrol that place! And it's really foggy in there! He won't be able to see his own hand in front of his face!"

"I'll go find him!" Luffy said. "Maybe I can stop him from shooting Blizzard, too!"

"But Luffy," Jeanne began, "what about your friend, Robin?"

_"Weren't you on your way to save her next?"_ Bella asked.

"Robin can wait a little longer," Luffy assured. "I gotta find Blizzard, first!" That's when he noticed a mist-covered wooded area, not too far from the village to the east. "That's the forest, right?" He soon bolted off in that direction. "I'll be back later!"

"Be careful out there!" Jeanne called out. "Come back and see us once you've found them!"

"Bring my Dad back safe!" added Tory.

"I will!" Luffy called back as he kept running.

XXX

"Man...when Jeanne said 'foggy', she wasn't kidding!"

Luffy stood in the middle of the forest, completely surrounded in dense fog, so thick that if he had a knife with him, he could cut through it.

"Yo~!" Luffy called. "Blizzard? Where are you?" He then put his thumb and index finger in his mouth and gave a sharp whistle. "Blizzard! Here, boy!"

No response.

"Hmm...he always comes when I whistle for him," Luffy said. "Well...if I can't call for him, maybe I can sense him, instead." He then shut his eyes, focusing his Observation Haki...and that's when he saw something nearby: five humanoid figures, one of them backed up against a tree while the other four surrounded it.

"There's somebody...!" Luffy whispered before he ran in the direction his senses took him...and upon arriving, he saw that it was a man with dark blue hair and a thin mustache, a black shirt with a dark blue scarf around his neck, a pair of mahogany trousers, and a machine gun similar to the one Gordon had strapped to his back...and he was surrounded by a group of pirates, one of them being a tall, muscular brute with a wolf mask over his face and a giant saber clasped to his waist.

"Well, well," said the larger one, Captain White Fang. "Looks like we've got us a puny rat who just went and stuck his nose in our territory!"

"Back off!" shouted the villager as he held his gun. "Don't make any moves or I'll shoot!"

"Hahahahaha!" laughed one of White Fang's minions. "You think we're afraid of you, just because you've got a gun?!"

"Captain! Let's slit this guy's throat and then take all his loot!" added another as he pointed his cutlass at Hugo's throat, causing the man to gulp.

"Hey! Get away from him!" Luffy shouted as he approached, causing the pirates to turn and face him.

"Huh?" Hugo asked. "Who are you?"

"Hey, are you Hugo?" Luffy asked. "Your son told me I'd find you here!"

"Hey! That's Straw Hat Luffy!" shouted one of the pirates. "I hear he's worth 500 million!"

"Straw Hat Luffy, eh?" asked White Fang as he brandished his giant saber. "Heheheheh! Perfect! Once we take his head, we'll be famous! GET HIM, BOYS!"

Soon, the three smaller pirates charged at Luffy, who smirked as he reeled his leg back.

"Gum-Gum WHIP!" he yelled as he stretched his leg and slammed the three lackeys into the trees, causing them to scream as they crashed into the timber. Captain White Fang blinked in shock, but then he growled before he brandished his saber and charged at the Straw Hat Captain, who easily dodged to the right as the brute swung the huge blade down. Then, he stretched his arms out and grabbed onto his shoulders before he slammed into his stomach, headfirst, causing him to cough up blood from the tremendous force of the impact. Soon, he was also sent flying through the trees, just like his lackeys.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed as he dusted his palms. "Well, that's that!"

"Uh...thanks for your help," said Hugo. "I would've been mincemeat if you hadn't shown up in time."

"No problem!" Luffy replied. "Now maybe you can help me out! I'm looking for-"

"Why you~!"

Luffy turned around to see that White Fang was not entirely finished, for he had gotten right back up and started charging at him and Hugo, once more, holding his huge saber.

"I'm not going down that easily, you punk!" he yelled, causing Luffy to go into a fighting stance...but then, out of nowhere, a white blur suddenly blitzed past him and Hugo and lunged right at White Fang, who let out a scream as he was tackled to the ground, and not long after, there was the sound of flesh being torn open, followed by a gurgling croak from White Fang as he fell limp. After that, there was the sound of liquid splashing as the brute's face was soon covered in urine, and as the creature turned around, it was soon revealed to be none other than Blizzard!

"Blizzard, it's you!" Luffy exclaimed.

_"Luffy! I knew my nose wasn't playing tricks on me!"_ Blizzard said.

"The wolf!" Hugo shouted as he held up his gun, causing Luffy to gasp before he jumped in the way.

"No, wait! Stop!" he cried. "Don't shoot him!"

"Huh?" Hugo muttered.

"This is my wolf-dog, Blizzard!" Luffy said. "I've been looking for him!"

"Oh...is that right?" Hugo asked as he put his gun away and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that. I guess I should have known he might belong to somebody when I saw that he had a scarf on his neck."

"If you want, we can give you a lift back to the village," Luffy said. "Now that Blizzard's here, I don't have to run anymore!"

"That sounds good," Hugo said. "Besides, Tory's probably wondering where I am."

XXX

After a little while, Luffy, Blizzard, and Hugo managed to make it back to Ruby Village, where father and son were soon reunited in a tender embrace.

"Dad!" Tory exclaimed while Hugo hugged him. "I was so worried about you!"

"Sorry about that, son," Hugo said.

"So...this is your wolf, Luffy?" Jeanne asked as she reached out toward Blizzard, who turned to look at her, causing her to gasp quietly.

"He's a wolf-dog, actually," Luffy pointed out. "Go on! Pet him! He won't bite you! Well...unless you make him mad or something."

_"Make her even more nervous, why don't you?"_ Blizzard quipped before he turned to Jeanne, who pulled off her glove and held out her hand, allowing the wolf-dog to sniff her fingers, then he gently licked them, causing her to smile as she scratched under his chin, eliciting a pleasant whine from him.

"Good boy," Jeanne praised, softly before she turned to Bella. "Look, Bella! Now you have a friend, too!"

At that moment, Blizzard's pink eyes fell on Bella...and the moment he did, his eyes went wide, his cheeks and the tips of his ears turned pink, and his tail started to wag at least 100 times a second, while the red Border Collie gave him a warm smile of greeting, her tail wagging not quite as fast as Blizzard's, but still showing that she was happy to meet him.

"Well, Luffy, I'm glad you found your dog," said Jeanne as she put her glove back on, "and you found Hugo, too."

"Yeah, me too," Luffy said. "Now that I found Blizzard, I gotta hurry to the Prison Tower and rescue Robin!"

_"What's this about Robin?"_ asked Blizzard, snapping out of his trance.

"Robin's been captured and she's being held prisoner in the Prison Tower," Luffy answered. "I was just on my way to go save her until I heard about you!"

_"I see,"_ said Blizzard. _"In that case, I'll go with you and help. Two heads are better than one, right?"_

"Yeah!" Luffy exclaimed. "Come on, Blizzard! Let's go and save Robin!"

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

Yay, Blizzard's here!

Review, please!


	9. Ch 6- Straw Hats Reunited, Part 3

**Ch. 6- Straw Hats Reunited**

**Part 3- The Prison Tower**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Jupiter, Lucky, and Bella © Me

* * *

Blizzard panted as he ran across the stone road, carrying Luffy on his back as he galloped along. By now, Luffy had given him as much detail about the current events as he could...which wasn't really much, but Blizzard decided to take what he could get.

_"So let me if I have this right,"_ said Blizzard. _"Some of the islanders accept the Marines being here while others don't?"_

"Yeah, it's kinda complicated," Luffy answered. "All I know is that something fishy is going on around here."

_"Hmm..."_ Blizzard hummed as he kept running, heading toward a Marine lookout checkpoint...and he could see the silhouette of a huge tower beyond it. _"Well, in any case, we'll have to talk about it another time...I think we made it."_

"Oh!" Luffy exclaimed. "This must be the Prison Tower that Jeanne and Nami were talking about! Robin's supposed to be inside!"

_"Uh...Luffy?"_ Blizzard asked as he drew closer toward the gate. _"Look..."_

As they drew near the checkpoint, Luffy gaped as he saw huge slash marks in the ground and the iron scaffold had been completely torn down. Not just that, but the gate leading to the Prison Tower beyond it looked like it had also been sliced open and there were many, MANY Marine soldiers lying on the ground, all of them sporting huge bloody gashes as they lied in pools of blood. It didn't take long for the Straw Hat Captain and his guard dog to realize who had been here.

"Looks like Zoro got here before we did," Luffy mused.

_"I guess he figured out that Robin was here and came trying to save her,"_ Blizzard said. _"This might work in our favor. He took out the guards for us!"_

"Which means it'll be easier for us to get in!" Luffy added, and with that, he and Blizzard soon headed through the gate...but the moment they entered, they soon saw something shocking: it was Isaac, the warden, locked in combat...with Zoro!

"Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed as the swordsman clashed with Isaac's metal gauntlets, sparkings flying in the air as the blade of _Shuusui_ collided, and yet he didn't even make so much as a dent in them. Nonetheless, Zoro never was one to back down from a fight, so the moment Isaac pulled his fist back to punch, the Pirate Hunter soon jumped back and began sprint at full speed. However, the warden was already one step ahead, for he soon began to fly after him using the jets in his armored boots. Isaac then attempted to punch Zoro again, but the swordsman just barely managed to dodge out of the way, and though it seemed subtle, he seemed to be panting a bit.

_"Oh, man...he's giving Zoro a hard time?"_ asked Blizzard in disbelief.

"Yeah, he gave me a hard time, back in the Sky Prison, too," Luffy replied, just as Zoro drew _Kitetsu III_ and charged again at Isaac, who fired one of his rocket fists at him with the swordsman once again narrowly avoiding getting hit before he spun like a drill, attempting to cut him down, but again, Isaac was one step ahead, jumping out of the way, once more...and yet, Zoro smirked at him as he glared at him with his one eye.

"Not bad," he drawled. "Been a while since I've fought someone this strong...and you don't even have Haki to boot." He then scowled again. "Or maybe...it's got something to do with that suit of yours."

"Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro," said Isaac. "I heard you were skilled in Santoryu, the Three-Sword Style, but you actually managed to surpass my expectations."

_"Of course, he would find this amusing..."_ Blizzard deadpanned before he looked up at Luffy, who was still watching the fight. _"Luffy, you think we should help him?"_

"That's probably not a good idea," Luffy answered. "You know how Zoro is when people interrupt him when he's fighting."

_"Yeah, that's true..."_ Blizzard replied.

"Nonetheless," said Isaac with a cocky smirk as he adjusted his sunglasses, "your data proved useful. It was worth collecting it myself." He then looked off to the corner of his eye to see Luffy and Blizzard. "And it seems your captain and his dog have arrived." He then turned back to Zoro. "Enough of this. I'm finished dealing with you."

"Hey, wait just a second!" Zoro barked. "I'm not done with you, yet! And what about my girlfriend?!"

"If you're that desperate for more action," said Isaac, "then perhaps these should suffice. They could use a bit of a test run. I'm a very busy man and I can't be bothered with the likes of you for the time being."

As soon as he said this, several robots suddenly began to drop in from the sky, using jets to keep themselves aloft above the ground.

_"What the hell are these things?!"_ Blizzard questioned.

"I heard these buckets of bolts attacked the ship," said Zoro as he drew all three of his swords. "I guess they'll do for a warmup."

"Whoa!" Luffy said with starry eyes. "So cool!"

"STOP BEING IMPRESSED!" Zoro and Blizzard barked in comical anger.

"Oh, right, sorry," Luffy apologized, sheepishly before he cracked his knuckles. "All right! Let's get these guys!"

"Have fun," Isaac grinned as he turned and walked away. At that moment, the robots began to fire their machine guns at the three members of the Monster Quartet, who managed to dodge the bullets. However, as Luffy tried to shoot them out of the sky using his Jet Pistol, they quickly flew out of his line of fire. The same thing happened when Blizzard attempted to use his Iron Twister Fang on them, only to miss entirely. Even Zoro couldn't hit them with his flying slashes.

"Damn! These things are quick!" Luffy cursed.

_"That warden did say something about collecting data,"_ said Blizzard. _"He must have been put them in these robots so they'd make it hard for us to fight them!"_

"No rustbuckets are gonna get the better of me," Zoro growled. "Three-Sword Style Succession Technique: CROSSING OF THE SIX PATHS!"

He soon made several slashes at the robots, slashing them into six pieces, individually. Not long after, Blizzard managed to get his jaws on one robot's head, then imbued his fangs with Haki for good measure.

_"1,000 POUND PRESSURE FANG!"_ he yelled before he slammed the robot into the ground, creating a huge crater before he ripped the machine's head right off.

"Nice one, buddy!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Luffy, watch it!" Zoro shouted as the robots fired a ball-like object with blinking lights, which the swordsman soon sliced in half, revealing it to be a bomb.

"Whoa!" Luffy said. "Thanks, Zoro!"

"Duck!" Zoro shouted as he sent a flying slash from _Shuusui_, causing Luffy to yelp as he ducked down, just as two more robots attempted to shoot the Straw Hat Captain from behind only to get sliced into pieces.

"Phew!" Luffy sighed in relief. "Thanks, again!" That's when he spotted several more flying toward them, causing him to grin as he charged at them, pumping his blood through his arms as he rushed at them. "I got this! Gum-Gum...JET GATLING!"

With a flurry of punches too fast for the naked eye to see, Luffy completely pummeled the remaining robots into hunks of scrap iron, thus eliminating the threat.

"Well, that takes care of that!" Luffy said as he dusted his palms.

_"Straw Hats: 1, Robots: zilch,"_ Blizzard smirked.

"Yeah, but we lost the warden," Zoro said.

"Oh, well," Luffy shrugged. "We'll probably run into him again, later."

"That actually has me thinking," Zoro said. "He's the guy in charge of all these prisons and Marine bases, right? How come he's not trying to capture us."

"Maybe he's busy," Luffy surmised. "There are pirates walking around here like they own the place, after all."

"Yeah, and we're one of those pirates, Luffy," Zoro pointed out.

"...Oh, yeah!" Luffy realized.

_"Luffy...do you even have half a brain in that skull of yours?" _Blizzard asked in a deadpan tone.

"Uh...I think so," Luffy replied.

"Oh, before I forget," said Zoro before he held up a key, "I did manage to get this, at least."

"A key?" Luffy asked. "What's it for?"

"It's for a cell in the Prison Tower," said Zoro. "That's where Robin's being held."

"So that's why you're here, right?" Luffy asked. "You came to save her?"

"Yeah," Zoro said. "At first, I was gonna try and cut down the door, but I didn't wanna risk hurting her, so instead, she sent me to go find the key, but on my way back...I suddenly found myself outside the prison."

_"So, in other words, you got lost, again,"_ Blizzard grinned while Luffy laughed.

"Hey, shut up!" Zoro barked. "Anyway, I think we spent enough time talking. We gotta get in that tower and get Robin out."

"Right!" Luffy agreed. "Uh...how do we get in, though?"

**PURU-PURU-PURU~! PURU-PURU-PURU~! PURU-PURU-PURU~!**

"Oop!" Luffy chirped before he picked up his Mini Transponder Snail. "Hello?"

**"Luffy? Are you there?"**

"Oh, hey, Jeanne!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Who's that?" Zoro asked. "You made another friend, did you?"

"Oh, yeah," Luffy said. "Zoro, this is Jeanne. She helped me out when I fell into the sea from the Sky Prison!"

_"And she has...a really cute dog,"_ Blizzard said with a wagging tail and a blushing face.

"Easy there, Mutt," said Zoro. "We already have enough problems with Brook and Dartboard Brow on the ship."

_"Hey, don't lump me in with them!" _Blizzard barked.

**"Hello, can we focus, please?"** asked Jeanne.

"Sorry, Jeanne," Luffy said. "Go ahead."

**"You guys are at the Prison Tower, right?"** asked Jeanne. **"A lot of sailors are talking about it."**

"Yeah, and I found my first mate, Zoro!" Luffy said.

"Yo," Zoro greeted, casually.

"We're just about to rescue Robin," Luffy began, "but we don't know how to get inside."

"This place is almost like a maze," Zoro said. "I don't even know how I got in there the first time."

_"Because you got lost..." _Blizzard murmured.

"Can it!" Zoro spat.

**"There should be some gondolas that lead to the top,"** said Jeanne. **"The Prison Tower has a large opening for ventilation. Try getting in from there."**

"Gondolas..." Luffy muttered as he looked around and saw a row of metal gondolas hanging from the west side of the tower's wall. "Oh! Found 'em!"

**"Be careful, though," **Jeanne warned. **"There might be guards on the-"**

"Uh, Jeanne?" Zoro asked while holding the snail. "Yeah, I don't think he's listening."

**"HUH?!"** Jeanne questioned.

To Blizzard and Zoro's exasperation, Luffy was already preparing to climb up onto a gondola...one that had a Marine sniper already stationed.

_"Oh, boy, here we go, again..."_ Blizzard bemoaned.

"Hey!" the Marine sniper shouted as he tried to shoot Luffy, only to end up kicked in the face and sent tumbling out of the gondola, causing him to scream as he landed on the ground with a harsh thud.

"Ooh!" Zoro and Blizzard winced.

_"Yeah, we better go with him,"_ Blizzard suggested before he and Zoro began to make their way to the gondolas, too.

XXX

A few good beatings of Marines and a lot of climbing, later, Luffy, Zoro, and Blizzard finally managed to reach the top of the Prison Tower, where they saw a large opening down below.

"Urgh...ugh!" Luffy grunted as he pulled Zoro up on to the ledge.

"Thanks for not using the Gum-Gum Rocket for once," the swordsman quipped. "Why is this place so damn tall, anyway?"

**"They say it's to keep out intruders,"** said Jeanne on the snail.

"So Robin's being held up in here, right?" Luffy asked. "Which cell is she in?"

"I can't remember," Zoro said. "They don't number the doors."

"Hmm..." Luffy hummed as he used his Observation Haki. He could see a few Marine soldiers patrolling down below, but then, in one of the cells to the northwest of the room, he could make a shapely figure, sitting inside. "Ooh! Found her!"

"Good work," Zoro said as he glanced down at the floor. "I don't feel like dealing with these small fries. You take care of them, Luffy."

_"Fine...slacker,"_ Blizzard quipped.

"I heard that," Zoro sneered as Luffy jumped down and landed in front of the Marines, who all gasped as they spotted him.

"Straw Hat!" one of them shouted. "Quick! Rush him before he-"

Too late. Before any of them had time to react fast enough, Luffy and Blizzard, using their combined Conqueror's Haki, quickly knocked out the remaining soldiers, causing them to collapse with foaming mouths. As soon as they were knocked out, Zoro soon jumped down to join them.

"That was quick," he said. "Now that they've been taken care of, let's hurry and get Robin outta here."

"Right!" Luffy nodded before he headed over to the cell. "Hello~? Robin, you in here?"

"Luffy? Is that you?"

"Yep! Zoro and Blizzard are here, too!" Luffy added.

"Hey, Robin," Zoro grinned while Blizzard barked happily.

"You okay in there?" Luffy asked.

"Oh, I'm fine," Robin answered. "They were actually kind enough to let me have a book to read while I'm in here. Do you have the key?"

"Got it, right here," Zoro said. "Just give us a second, we'll-"

"Hold it, right there!"

Upon hearing that voice, Zoro turned around to see none other than Marine Captain Tashigi, who was holding her sword, _Shigure_, in her hand.

"Hey! It's that sword lady who's always hanging around Smokey!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Well, if it ain't Captain Four Eyes?" Zoro asked.

"I have a name, Pirate Hunter," Tashigi countered. "I had a feeling that I'd run into you again, here on Jail Island. Now, what is your business here?"

"We're here to bail Robin out," Luffy answered, bluntly.

"Figures you lot would just stroll in here like you own the place," Tashigi said before she drew her sword. "This is far as you three will go! Get comfortable, because soon, you'll all be thrown in a prison, just like Devil Child in there."

"So I guess you wanna fight, huh?" asked Luffy as he rolled his shoulder. "Fine, I guess I'll-"

"Hold on, Luffy," Zoro spoke up, causing Luffy and Blizzard to look at him...and that's when they noticed this rather serious look in his eye. "Let me handle her."

"Wait, really?" Luffy asked. "Because you used to have a hard time trying to fight her."

_"And besides,"_ Blizzard began, _"the last time she wanted to fight you, you said she was a waste of your time."_

"...It's different, now," Zoro said as he stepped toward Tashigi. "There's something about her...something I think I wanna see for myself."

"Oh?" Tashigi asked. "So you're finally going to acknowledge me, Roronoa?"

"I might," Zoro said as he drew all three of his swords. "Consider this a test...just don't expect for me to hold back, just because you're a woman."

"Oh, trust me," Tashigi said as she took a sword stance. "I'm actually hoping that you don't hold back."

The wind quietly blew across the prison as the two swordsmen locked eyes...and then, quicker than anybody could blink, Zoro just sped forward and swung from the left...but to his surprise, Tashigi actually managed to parry the sideways strike without missing a beat.

"What the...?" Zoro whispered, only to gasp as Tashigi swung downward, causing him to quickly block with _Shuusui_. Soon, the two were clashing blades, creating sparks as they continued to parry blows. Luffy and Blizzard stood nearby, watching with wide eyes and parted mouths as they watched the duel between the two swordsmen (sword lady in Tashigi's case). At one point, Zoro tried to swing his swords down on Tashigi's head, but she was able to deflect it by having swords slide down the flat side of her blade, then she jumped away to gain a distance.

"SORU!" she shouted before she disappeared, then reappeared in the blink of an eye, but when she reappeared behind Zoro, he appeared confused...until he saw her sheathing _Shigure_. As the sword clicked into its hilt, **SHRRIIP!** Zoro grunted as he looked down at his left bicep and saw that there was a sizable tear in it, and a small cut on his skin, too, slightly dripping with blood.

"Whoa...did you see that?!" Luffy asked.

_"She...she actually got a hit on him!"_ Blizzard exclaimed.

"What's going on out there?" Robin asked from inside her cell.

"Uh...Zoro's in a duel right now!" Luffy answered.

"Oh, I see," Robin replied. "Take your time. Be careful, Zoro!"

"...Not bad," Zoro said before he glared at Tashigi, who glared back at him, "but one little cut doesn't mean anything...but I gotta admit, you're full of surprises."

"I'm only getting started," said Tashigi before she held her sword up in an angle, just above her head, prompting Zoro to do the same with _Kitetsu III_.

"One-Sword Style...360 CALIBER PHOENIX!" Zoro shouted as he swung in a circular motion, sending a compressed blast of air at Tashigi, who grunted as she swung _Shigure_, sending a flying slash in the shape of what looked like some sort of bird. The two slashes collided, canceling each other out before Zoro charged forward and clashed blades with her, once again...and this time, both of their blades were black.

"Damn...is it me? Or did your Haki get stronger since I last saw you?" Zoro asked.

"What'd you think I was doing since then?" Tashigi asked as she began to push Zoro back. "Planting a garden?!"

With a swing, Tashigi attempted to slice Zoro from the right, but he jumped back down to avoid the stroke...but just narrowly.

"GEPPOU!" Tashigi shouted as she jumped into the air, using her feet to "kick" the air beneath her to keep herself aloft, then she sent another air-slash at Zoro, who blocked using _Shuusui_...but before he had time to use another move, he gasped as he saw the Marine Captain practically dive at him.

"WATCH IT, ZORO!" Luffy cried, but then, **BOOM!** Tashigi collided with Zoro, causing Luffy and Blizzard to flinch as a cloud of dust burst forth. As they coughed and waved the dust away...they gasped quietly at the sight before them: on one side, Tashigi stood in front of Zoro, the tip of her sword directly under his arm, likely to pierce through his chest and into his heart...while Zoro had _Kitetsu III_ nearly touching the left side of her neck, close to her carotid artery.

The two...were in a stalemate.

"...Whoa...!" Luffy whispered in disbelief.

_"I don't believe it...!" _Blizzard added. _"They're at a draw!"_

A pause...but then Tashigi pulled her blade away from Zoro's arm, the latter doing the same with his blade.

"...Damn," Zoro cursed...before a smirk appeared on his face. "I guess all this time...I really have underestimated you."

"...And I did, too," Tashigi said. "I'll admit, some part of me thought you might hold back...but what I saw was only just a taste of your true strength."

"It's not every day someone actually manages to find a blind spot around me," Zoro said. "Then again, I am blind in my left eye, now...and my Observation Haki isn't as finely tuned."

"Always room for improvement, they say," Tashigi said.

"Maybe another round, just decide things," Zoro suggested.

"I could always use more practice," Tashigi said as she prepared to take a stance, again...but then...

**PURU-PURU-PURU~! PURU-PURU-PURU~! PURU-PURU-PURU~!**

"Oh!" Tashigi exclaimed before she reached into her pocket and pulled a Mini Transponder Snail. "Yes, Captain Tashigi here."

**"Tashigi. It's Smoker. You're needed, immediately."**

"What? What for?" asked Tashigi.

**"They didn't say what, exactly. Just get over here!"**

"Y-yes, sir, right away," Tashigi said before she put her snail away. "Change of plans, Roronoa. Looks like you, Straw Hat, and White Wolf will be free men...and a free dog for a while longer."

"Perhaps next time, then?" Zoro asked.

"Perhaps," Tashigi mused before she turned and walked away. "Farewell."

"That was weird," Luffy said as he and Blizzard walked up to Zoro. "Smokey got a call like that, too, when I was fighting him."

_"Wait, seriously?"_ Blizzard asked. _"What is going on here?"_

"Unh...!" Zoro grunted as he grabbed at his bicep, right where Tashigi had cut him. "Damn..."

"You okay, Zoro?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah," Zoro answered. "I wouldn't admit it in front of her...but that cut she landed on me actually did hurt...not too bad, but still."

_"I remember how you used to say that you never wanted to fight her,"_ Blizzard said.

"The truth is...I would never give her the chance," Zoro answered. "I thought that maybe she was still weak...but after seeing her in Punk Hazard and fighting with her, here and now...I'm starting to realize she really is a swordsman in her own right...and I really need to stop being such an arrogant asshole."

Luffy blinked before he grinned and put his hand on Zoro's shoulder, causing him to glance over at him for a moment before he chuckled.

"Thanks, Luffy," he said.

"No problem," Luffy replied.

_"Umm...guys?"_ Blizzard asked. _"What about Robin?"_

"Oh, right!" Luffy exclaimed before he ran over to the cell door. "Robin? How you holdin' up in there?"

"Well, I just finished this book, so now I'm a bit bored," Robin answered. "I wouldn't mind being let out, now."

"Sure thing!" Luffy replied before he unlocked the door, causing it to open up.

"Well, that's better," Robin said as she walked out, and not long after, Zoro went up, cupped her chin, and gently pulled her head toward his as he captured her lips in a short but warm kiss. "Mmm...good to see you, too, Tiger."

"You're okay, right?" Zoro asked.

"Never been better," Robin replied. "Thanks for coming to save me."

"Well...I had help, you know," Zoro said as he gestured to Luffy and Blizzard, the former waving and grinning like a simpleton, which caused Robin to give an amused chuckle.

"Of course," she said. "Thanks, boys."

"No problem!" Luffy said.

"For a prisoner, they sure treated you well," Zoro said. "How come they didn't put sea prism stone cuffs on you? You could've easily gotten out yourself using your powers."

"That, even I don't know," Robin answered as she took on a serious expression. "I tried to find out, but so far, no luck."

"Yeah, there's something really fishy going on around here," Zoro concurred. "I think it might have something to do with that warden."

_"This is getting stranger by the second,"_ said Blizzard. _"We're a crew of notorious pirates. Why would the warden treat us like we're welcome guests here? And all the pirates on the island, for that matter?"_

"Eh, we'll worry about it, later," Luffy shrugged. "Anyway, let's head back to Ruby Village and meet up with Jeanne and Bella!"

"Absolutely," Robin concurred.

XXX

A while later, the group managed to return to Ruby Village, where Jeanne and Bella were waiting for them.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're alright!" said Jeanne.

"You must be this 'Jeanne' that I've been hearing about," Robin surmised while she gently stroke Bella, who happily wagged her tail. "Luffy says you've been helping him find the rest of our scattered crew."

"Yeah, I am," Jeanne nodded. "I know what you're probably thinking: no sane person would ever go out of their way to help a pirate, right?"

"Not many, anyway," Robin replied, humorously.

"Well, I have to say that Luffy and the rest of you aren't like typical pirates I've seen," Jeanne answered. "In fact, it's pretty easy to forget that he is a pirate."

"We get that a lot," Robin chuckled before she turned to Luffy. "Luffy, I'll be heading back to the ship from here."

"Okay, Robin," Luffy replied.

"Uh...Luffy?" asked Jeanne. "Quick question. Weren't there supposed to be four of you coming back here?"

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked. "There are four of us! There's me, there's Robin, there's Blizzard, and there's-" He stopped when he realized that Zoro wasn't standing behind him. "Uh...Zoro?"

"Oh, dear...looks like we lost him, again," Robin muttered.

"Again?" Jeanne repeated.

_"You mean this happens often?"_ Bella asked.

"Zoro's a really powerful swordsman," Luffy began, "but he's not that great with directions."

_"Ugh, that stupid backwards Zoro!"_ Blizzard complained. _"He'd get lost walking in a straight line!"_

XXX

"...What the hell?" Zoro asked as he stood on top of a huge rock formation in the form of a dragon's head. "Where'd Luffy, Robin, and the mutt go? I swear, I can't leave them alone for a second."

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

Review, please!


	10. Ch 6- Straw Hats Reunited, Part 4

**Ch. 6- Straw Hats Reunited**

**Part 4- Marine Directives**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Jupiter, Lucky, and Bella © Me

* * *

So far, Chopper, Nami, Franky, Blizzard, and Robin had all been found (with the exception of Zoro since he got himself lost again). Aika and Kumi had been safe on the ship all along, so they didn't count. The only ones left to find were Usopp, Sanji, and Brook. However, there was one slight problem...actually, two slight problems.

First of all, Luffy and Blizzard had the whereabouts to Franky and Robin, so they were easy to rescue, but they didn't know where to look for the others and so far, they had no clues to where they were, either...and as for the second problem...

"Uuugggggghh...!" Luffy whined as he slumped against Blizzard's back while his stomach gurgled. "So hungry...can't even moooooove!"

That's right. Luffy was getting hungry, again. Right now, he and Blizzard had taken a break near Emery Plaza to think about where to find the others, but now that they had stopped, there was nothing to distract Luffy from his empty stomach.

_"Will you just shut up?!"_ Blizzard questioned. _"God, even Kumi doesn't whine as much as you do, and she's almost a year old!"_

"I can't help it, Blizzard!" Luffy argued. "My tummy really needs some food!"

_"Good grief, I will never understand how your digestive system works,"_ Blizzard grumbled. _"Food's the last thing we need to be thinking about, right now. Now, let's get organized. So far, Chopper's been found...Aika and Kumi are still at the ship, so that makes 3..."_

"Uh...I found Nami, and then I found Franky, and you," Luffy pointed out, "so that makes 6."

_"We found Zoro after that, followed by Robin, but then Zoro got lost, AGAIN," _said Blizzard, _"so for now, that's seven...all that's left is Usopp, Brook, and Sanji."_

"Ugh, Sanji~!" Luffy whined as his stomach bellowed. "I wish he could make me some meat, right now!"

"You know, I really wish you'd stop seeing me as just a source of food, you rubber brat!"

"Sanji?!" Luffy asked as he sat up and looked around. "Where are you?!"

"Luffy, over here!"

As Luffy and Blizzard looked up to the stairs that led to a fountain, they saw Jeanne and Bella standing on top of them...as well as, of all people, Sanji!

"Sanji!" Luffy and Blizzard exclaimed as they climbed the stairs.

"Good to see you, too, Luffy," Sanji grinned.

"I found him around Emerald Town," Jeanne said. "He was looking for your friends, just like you are, but then he saved me from some Marine soldiers. When I told him I knew you, he came with me!"

_"You said he's your cook, right?" _Bella asked.

"That's right!" Luffy answered. "And he's the best there is! Right, Sanji?"

"Well...that I won't deny," Sanji grinned. "So, Luffy, Jeanne here says she knows you."

"Yeah, she saved me when I fell in the sea from the Sky Prison!" Luffy answered.

"Well, normally, hearing something like that would make me so jealous, I'd bust a blood vessel," Sanji answered before he turned to Jeanne and bowed his head, "but I am grateful that you saved our knuckleheaded captain."

"You're very welcome," Jeanne smiled.

"So, Luffy, I heard you bailed Robin outta jail and you found Moss-head, too," Sanji said.

"Well, Zoro was with us for a little while," Luffy answered, "but..."

"Lemme guess: he got lost again, right?" Sanji asked.

"Pretty much," Luffy shrugged.

"Dammit all..." Sanji cursed. "I swear, it's not worth being with that crap swordsman, all the time!"

"But anyway," Luffy began, "Sanji, you got some meat for me, right? I'm starving!"

"I don't have any food, Luffy," Sanji answered. "Seriously, is that all you think about when you see me?!"

"Aww, come on!" Luffy whined. "I'm running on empty, here!"

"Uh...excuse me," Jeanne spoke up. "Luffy, since you're here, I was hoping maybe you'd help me with something."

"Huh?" Luffy muttered. "Something like what?"

"Well," Sanji said as he held up a piece of paper, "while I was fighting off those Marines in Emerald Town, they dropped this. I think they're directives."

_"Directives?"_ Blizzard repeated.

"Yeah, and I think they might be important," Sanji said. "I can't make heads or tails of them, though, because they're written in code. This stuff must be some classified information."

"Classified?" Luffy asked. "Like...secret?" He then beamed in excitement. "You think maybe there's treasure involved?!"

_"Nami might like that,"_ Blizzard added.

"Pretty much," Jeanne answered. "I tried to decipher them, but there's just one problem: the directives are incomplete. These are just part one of three. The other two might still be out there."

"Those directives might contain info on us," Sanji said, "or even what the Marines are up to on this island."

"With that kind of information," Jeanne began, "they're definitely invaluable."

_"They might even contain clues as to where the rest of your friends are,"_ Bella pointed out.

_"That is a possibility," _Blizzard said before he looked up at Luffy. _"Luffy? What do you think we should do?"_

"Hmm...I think we should look into this!" Luffy answered. "It might say something about treasure!"

_"Or our crew, Luffy,"_ Blizzard pointed out. _"Seriously, get your priorities straight!"_

"Come on, Sanji!" Luffy said. "Let's go and look for the rest of those direction thingies!"

"Directives," Sanji corrected.

"Right! What you said!" Luffy answered.

"If you're going to Emerald Town," Jeanne said, cautiously, "be very careful, you three. That place is crawling with Marine sailors."

"That explains a lot," Sanji said. "That explains why I didn't see any townsfolk there."

"The only who's practically brave enough to live there is Musubi," Jeanne answered.

"Who's Musubi?" Luffy asked.

"She's this woman who's always out gathering ingredients for the lunches that she makes for her kids," said Jeanne. "She walks around here a lot, so you might get some information on where the rest of the directives are from her."

"Ooh, lunch!" Luffy beamed. "You think I can get one from her, too?!"

"Musubi lives on 5th Street of Emerald Town," Jeanne answered. "You might see her kids playing outside there, so they might tell you where she is."

"Thanks, Jeanne!" Luffy answered. "Come on, Sanji! Blizzard! Let's go and get some lunch!"

"AND the directives!" Sanji and Blizzard shouted.

"Those, too!" Luffy added.

XXX

It took some doing, but Luffy, Sanji, and Blizzard managed to find out where Musubi lived in Emerald Town, which was actually crawling with Marine soldiers...nothing they couldn't handle, of course. However, when they got to the woman's house, they found out from one of her sons, Tarako, that she wasn't home. In fact, through the boy, they found out that they were one of the few people who still lived in this town due to the Marines chasing most of them out. The only reason that Musubi and her family stayed was because the Marines actually did like her lunches.

When asked where Musubi was, Tarako told them that she had gone out looking for more ingredients for her meals.

"If you're in a hurry to find Mom," he told them, "you might find her at the narrow path between the lake. Just go east from here! You shouldn't miss it!"

"Thanks a lot, kid," Sanji said. "Luffy, let's head east and look for Musubi at the lake."

"Right!" Luffy answered as he and Sanji climbed up onto Blizzard's back and the wolf-dog soon took off toward the lake.

"By the way," Sanji said, "can we get a saddle for Blizzard or something? Riding bareback is really uncomfortable! I don't know how you and Nami do it!"

_"If you don't like it, then get off and walk!"_ Blizzard barked.

XXX

Sometime later, as Blizzard trotted through a grassy field...

"Sanji~!" Luffy whined. "It feels like we've been walking forever! I'm hungry~!"

"Will you be quiet?!" Sanji questioned. "That's, like, the 12th time I heard you whine like a baby!"

_"I fail to see how you're hungry when I'm the one doing all the walking, Luffy!"_ Blizzard shouted.

"When are we gonna find this Musubi lady?" Luffy asked. "I wanna eat~!"

"You can eat after we find out more about those directives!" Sanji argued. "Although, to tell you the truth, it does feel like we should've found her by now."

_"Yeah, I can see the lake, but where's...oh!"_ Blizzard started, only to spot a rather stout woman with puffy orange hair and wearing common clothes, like a green shirt, blue trousers, and a beige vest, searching around the grass for something. _"I think that's her, up ahead!"_

"Finally!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Leave the talking to me," Sanji said before he hopped off Blizzard's back and approached the woman. "Ah-hem! Excuse, madam?"

"Hmm?" the woman hummed as she turned to face him. "Oh! Hello, there, young man!"

"Might you be Musubi?" Sanji asked.

"Yes, I'm Musubi," said the woman. "And who might you be?"

"My name is Sanji," Sanji introduced himself before gesturing to Luffy and Blizzard. "This is Luffy and our dog, Blizzard."

"Hi!" Luffy waved.

"How can I help you boys?" asked Musubi.

"Well, we were wondering if you have seen anything like Marine directives," said Sanji. "You see, we're friends of Jeanne and she said you might know something about them."

"Directives, you say?" Musubi inquired. "Hmm...come to think of it, I might have seen something like them around these parts."

"Great!" Luffy exclaimed. "Can you tell us where they are?!"

"Whoa, hold on there!" said Musubi. "Even if you are well-acquainted with Jeanne, I just can't give you something without getting anything in return! Give-and-take, you understand?"

"I hear you," Sanji replied. "What do you need?"

"If you could bring me a couple of Spiky Carrots," Musubi began, "then I'll give you the information you're looking for."

"Spiky Carrots?" Luffy asked. "What are those?"

"Hmm...do they look like these?" asked Sanji as he held up what looked like two carrots, only they looked like they were covered in thorns. "I found these earlier while I was out looking for my friends and since I was in the neighborhood, I bought a few, just to experiment with them in my cooking."

"Those are exactly what I'm looking for!" Musubi exclaimed. "And they're perfectly ripe, too!"

Soon, they made the exchange.

"These carrots will be perfect for my kids' lunches, tomorrow!" Musubi exclaimed.

"Ohh..." Luffy moaned as his stomach grumbled. "I wish I had some lunch, now!"

"Sorry, boy," Musubi began, "but I'm just a single mother who's trying to make sure her kids eat healthy, nutritious meals. After all, we might live here, but the children are the ones who'll be handling this island when we're gone!"

"I see," Sanji said. "So, I'm guessing your husband isn't around anymore, huh?"

"Sadly, my husband died a couple of years ago," said Musubi. "Pirates did him in. That's why I work twice as hard to make sure they eat right, so they can grow big and strong like he was." She then shook her head. "But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, aren't I? You were asking about those Marine directives?"

"Yes, do you happen to know where they are?" Sanji asked.

"Well, I managed to find one around here and picked it up," said Musubi as she handed Sanji a piece of paper. "The other one, however, is locked in a treasure chest...and it's being guarded by pirates."

"A treasure chest?!" Luffy asked, excitedly. "Sweet~!"

"Where is this chest?" asked Sanji.

"It's in a cave, not far from here," Musubi replied before she turned and pointed at a large crystal rock formation that looked like a giant swordfish. "See that formation, over there? There's a cave there. That's where I saw the chest containing the last of the directives."

"Thank you, Musubi," Sanji said.

"Let's get going!" Luffy exclaimed. "I wanna see what the treasure is!"

"Oh, just one thing!" Musubi said before she handed Sanji another piece of paper. "Here, take this with you. It's a recipe for my special lunch. With this, you can make it whenever you want."

"Thank you," Sanji grinned as he pocketed the recipe. "I'll be sure to keep it handy so I can get Luffy off my back."

"Okay, now let's go!" Luffy said.

"One more thing!" Musubi called. "You said that you're Jeanne's friends, right? Do me a favor and please keep an eye on her. She tends to take on too much on her own and she tends not to let anyone get involved. I can understand that being the new leader can be hard, but she needs to remember that she has to take it easy, once in a while."

"I see," Sanji replied. "She did look a bit stressed out, earlier."

"Don't worry, lunch lady!" Luffy said. "We'll be sure to tell Jeanne to take it easy!"

_"Her name is Musubi,"_ Blizzard corrected.

"Okay, NOW let's go!" Luffy declared, and with that, the three Straw Hats headed to the cave.

XXX

"Urgh...c'mon, dammit all!"

**CRACK!**

"Shit! The lockpick broke!"

This came from a large, muscular brute of a pirate with his hair styled like devil horns while his two spiky-haired mooks stood beside him as they surrounded the treasure chest that Musubi spoke of.

"I can't believe we finally found something even remotely close to treasure," said the boss, "and we can't even open this thing!"

"Yeah," said one of the mooks. "To think, the Marines actually left something like this lyin' around!"

"Hey, you mind if we take a look at that?"

The three pirates turned, only to gasp upon seeing Luffy, Sanji, and Blizzard standing behind them.

"Yo!" Luffy exclaimed.

"W-what the-?!" the boss questioned. "That's Straw Hat Luffy, Vinsmoke Sanji, and White Wolf Blizzard!"

"...What did you just call me, jackass?" Sanji asked as he narrowed his eye at them.

"Uh-oh," Luffy muttered.

_"Oh, crap, here we go,"_ Blizzard said as he wisely stepped aside.

"If there's one thing I can't stand," Sanji began, "it's when people try to lump me in with THOSE bastards!" His right leg then burst into flames, causing the three pirates to nervously tense up.

"3...2...1," Luffy counted.

"COLLIER STRIKE!"

**WHAM!** The three pirates were sent flying without even beginning to put up a fight, and all three soon fell in the lake below.

"Dammit...!" Sanji cursed before he turned to look at Luffy. "Sorry I didn't leave you any, Luffy, but you know how much that pisses me off."

"Hey, no complaints from me, Sanji!" Luffy replied while raising his hands in the air. "When you gotta vent, you gotta vent!"

_"Yeah, you didn't even have to explain yourself!"_ Blizzard added.

"Well, now that that's settled," Sanji said before he picked up the treasure chest, "let's see what we got in here." He then noticed the lock latched onto the chest. "Hey, Blizzard, can you bite this open?"

_"Sure,"_ Blizzard said before he opened his mouth and bit down on the lock, crushing it to pieces, thus allowing Sanji to open the chest.

"Any treasure?!" Luffy asked, excitedly.

"Nope," Sanji said before he pulled out a simple sheet of paper. "It's the rest of the directives we were looking for."

"Ah, oh, well," Luffy shrugged, but then he heard a familiar ringing coming from his pocket.

**PURU-PURU-PURU! PURU-PURU-PURU!**

"Oh! That's probably Jeanne!" Luffy said before he picked up his Mini Transponder Snail. "Hello?"

**"Luffy, it's Jeanne! You guys were gone for so long, I thought I'd call and check on you. Did you find the rest of the directives?"**

"Yeah, we found 'em!" Sanji answered. "We're gonna head back over to you so we can decipher them."

**"I'll be waiting!"**

With that, Jeanne soon hung up, and Luffy and Sanji climbed up onto Blizzard's back.

"Let's ride, buddy!" Luffy exclaimed, and with that, Blizzard soon dashed off, heading back to Emery Plaza.

XXX

"Hmmm..." Jeanne hummed as she looked through the papers.

"Well, Jeanne?" Sanji asked.

"What do they say?!" Luffy asked. "Anything about treasure?!"

"Hmmm..." Jeanne hummed, again, furrowing her brow.

"Is that a good 'hmm' or a bad 'hmm'?" Sanji inquired.

"This looks like a list of security details," Jeanne answered. "It doesn't say anything about treasure or things like that. Sorry."

"Ah, bummer," Luffy pouted.

_"Sorry it's nothing more exciting,"_ said Bella.

"Hey, c'mon, Luffy, don't be like that," Sanji chastised. "After all, she didn't have to decipher those directives for us."

"Hahaha!" Jeanne laughed. "Well, I know it's not anything very excited...although it does have the names of the Marine Admirals on here..."

_"The Admirals?"_ Blizzard repeated.

"You mean the Admirals are here on the island?!" Luffy asked with clenched fists.

"No," Jeanne answered, "at least, they're not here yet, but they're supposed to be arriving, soon. I'm actually a little worried...we've never had a Marine Admiral show up here, before. I wonder why they're coming? Is it capture you guys...or is for another reason?" She then sighed and shook her head. "I don't know..."

_"Jeanne..."_ Bella whispered, worriedly, before she went and licked her hand, causing Jeanne to glance down at her before she smiled and stroked her fur.

"Thanks, Bella," she said.

"Well, whatever the case may be," Sanji began, "at least now, we know to take extra precautions. In fact, I was thinking that as thanks for your help, I could make you a nice strawberry and pineapple parfait!"

"Ooh!" Jeanne exclaimed. "That does sound fancy...but you don't have to-"

"It's okay, Jeanne," Luffy said. "That's just how Sanji is!"

"But...but," Jeanne stammered, "things seem so bad right now and I don't think I should-"

"Nonsense!" Sanji interjected. "That's exactly why you should have this!"

"Huh?" Jeanne muttered.

"Step 1," Sanji counted. "Have a nice, delicious snack to eat. Step 2: feel happy and energized. Step 3, and most important: face the day with renewed purpose! That's why Musubi probably works so hard to make those lunches for all her children: so they can face the day without going hungry and have renewed vigor!"

"...I guess I never thought of it, that way," said Jeanne. "In that case, I'd love to have a parfait! Thank you, Sanji!"

"Of course," Sanji grinned before he looked back to Luffy. "Luffy, I'm gonna take Jeanne and Bella to the _Sunny_. What are you and Blizzard gonna do?"

"Well, Usopp and Brook are still out there, somewhere," Luffy replied, "so we're gonna go look for 'em."

"Got it," Sanji nodded.

_"If you see Zoro around-"_ Blizzard started.

"You don't gotta tell me," Sanji interjected, and with that, Luffy and Blizzard left to go find their last two remaining crew members.

"...Wait!" Luffy cried. "I just realized something!"

_ "What?"_ Blizzard asked, suddenly tense. _"What's wrong?!"_

"...I'm still hungry~!" Luffy whined as he put his hands over his stomach, causing Blizzard to gasp before he fell over, comically.

"Idiot...!" he groaned.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

Review, please!


	11. Ch 6- Straw Hats Reunited, Part 5

**Ch. 6- Straw Hats Reunited**

**Part 5- Jewel Mine**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Jupiter, Lucky, and Bella © Me

* * *

After taking a quick detour back to Emerald Town to get Luffy a lunchbox from Musubi, he and Blizzard soon headed to another part of the island: Topaz Mine Town. It was a place where people could go into the mines to dig for ore, such as rubies, jade, and others. They were headed on a lead that one of the Straw Hats might be there, so they went to go and check it out.

As they arrived, they soon found themselves in a dusty old town that sat at the foothills of a mountain, where they found a railway track with a minecart stationed at the entrance. The people were dressed in ragged clothing and carrying out shovels, pickaxes, and the like. However, what caught their eyes most was that a banner holding the Marine insignia was hung above the mine entrance with two soldiers standing guard.

_"Great...of course the Marines have their grip around here, too,"_ Blizzard groused. _"Does it never end with these guys?!"_

"Everybody here looks pretty dirty," Luffy pointed out.

_"Well, it IS a mining town,"_ said Blizzard. _"This must be where everyone digs up ore and stuff, like Jeanne said."_ He then sniffed the air. _"Hmm...I'm not quite sure, but I think I smell Usopp's scent. I smell gunpowder and steel pachinko balls."_

"Knowing Usopp, I wouldn't be surprised if he's hiding the Marines around here," Luffy quipped. "Can you figure out where he is?"

Blizzard sniffed the air once again before he trotted off, following the scent trail while Luffy walked alongside him. As they walked through the streets of the town, they noticed two women nearby, talking to each other.

"The Marines sure haven't been making things easier for our mining businesses. How am I supposed to get food on the table? I got two hungry mouths to feed at home!"

"Isn't there a way we can kick those Marines out?"

"Shh~! Helen! Don't let them hear you say that! Besides, what can you do against them? They've got guns to back up their words!"

"I suppose you're right...but still, my family's been going hungry these past couple of nights!"

Luffy and Blizzard both sneered as they glanced at each other.

_"I can see why some people are against the Marines being here,"_ Blizzard muttered as he glanced over at some soldiers patrolling the streets. _"No-good, greedy bastards, that's what they are..."_

"Not all of them," Luffy said. "A few of them have good heads on their shoulders, like Smoky!"

_"Yeah, when he's not busy trying to catch us, that is,"_ said Blizzard. _"Anyway, let's hurry and find Usopp."_

"Jeez, what's with that long-nosed guy?"

"Huh?" Luffy muttered as he and Blizzard noticed a tweed cap and wearing a tattered green shirt and green pants, as well as a bandage on the bridge of his nose...which was a little bit runny.

_"Did he say long-nosed guy?" _Blizzard asked. _"Maybe he's talking about Usopp!"_

"Let's go and ask!" said Luffy as he and the wolf-dog approached him. "Hey, kid!"

"Huh?" the boy muttered as he noticed the two. "Oh, hi. I'm Pomme. You need somethin', mister?"

"You mentioned a guy with a long nose," Luffy said. "Did you see him, recently?"

"Is that long-nosed guy your pal or something?" asked Pomme before he sniffed up the snot that was coming out of his nostril. "Because if he is, tell him to leave my Dad alone! He's trying to steal his tools!"

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked. "What tools?"

"My Dad bought these tools, today," said Pomme, "but that stranger says that they're his, and he won't stop dogging my Dad about 'em! Jeanne told me not to tell anyone, but I'm getting this close to reporting him to the Marines!"

_"No one likes a snitch, kid,"_ Blizzard growled, causing Pomme to gulp as he stepped back, mostly because to him, the wolf-dog's words only came out as growling barks.

"If Jeanne's with him, that means she's probably here to help!" Luffy realized. "Come on, Blizzard, let's go! Maybe Bella's with her, too!"

Hearing that caused Blizzard's ears to prick up and his tail to wag.

"You can find the long-nosed guy at my house," said Pomme as he pointed over his shoulder. "It's just up the road from here. You'll know it when you see my Dad on the front porch."

"Thanks, Pomme!" Luffy exclaimed as he hopped on Blizzard's back, and the wolf-dog soon ran off, heading up the road while Pomme waved them off, still sniffling his nose.

As Luffy and Blizzard headed up the road to search for Pomme's house, they could hear the sound of someone shouting from nearby.

"Come on, man, I'm telling you! Those are my tools!"

"And I'm telling you that they're MINE! I bought 'em, fair and square! Now shove off!"

"Now, now, you two, let's not argue!"

"Hey! I know that voice!" Luffy exclaimed as he and Blizzard climbed up a set of stairs, where they saw Jeanne and Bella standing with a stout man with a bushy mustache and beard, a tattered top hat made of straw hat, an orange-and-white checker-patterned shirt, a yellow shirt over that one, and a pair of blue trousers...and standing in front of them was none other than Usopp!

"Usopp! It's you!" Luffy cheered, causing the sniper to turn around and beam upon seeing his captain and best friend.

"Luffy!" Usopp exclaimed as his captain practically threw himself onto him, wrapping his rubbery arms around him in a tight hug. "Oof! Heh, yeah, good to see you, too! Oh! And Blizzard!"

The wolf-dog gave the sniper a big slobbery lick to his face, causing him to laugh.

"Ugh...but I don't miss your dog breath," Usopp muttered.

"Luffy, Blizzard!" Jeanne said. "Thank goodness you two are here!"

_"Yeah, we have a big problem!"_ Bella added.

"This guy a friend of yours?" asked the large man. "Then get him outta here! I'm keeping these tools!"

"And I keep telling you that those tools were stolen from me!" Usopp argued. "You gotta believe me!"

"I bought these, fair and square, pipsqueak!" the man countered. "You got any proof that they're yours?!"

"Mister Vaun, Usopp, please calm down!" Jeanne cried. "Now then, why don't you start over from the beginning?"

"Fine then," Vaun muttered. "Needle-Nose here-"

"Hey!"

"Shishishi! Needle-Nose!"

"-insists that these tools that I bought today were stolen, and he followed me all the way here, demanding I give 'em back!"

"But they were stolen!" Usopp interjected. "The _Sunny_ was a mess, so I thought that maybe I could do some minor repairs on her, but as I was getting started, I turned around and they were gone! I swear on my Mother's grave!"

"Luffy?" Jeanne asked as she looked to the Straw Hat Captain. "Usopp's one of your crew, right? Do you believe him?"

"Of course, I believe him!" Luffy said. "Even if Usopp is a liar, sometimes-"

"I DON'T LIE THAT MUCH, ANYMORE!" Usopp shouted.

"-when he's telling the truth, I stick by him, no matter what!" Luffy finished with a grin, causing the sniper to sniffle with comical tears in his eyes.

"Luffy...!"

"...I see," Jeanne mused before she looked to Vaun. "Mister Vaun, please...isn't there any way you can give back those tools? It looks like Usopp really is telling the truth."

"Sorry, Jeanne," said Vaun, "but I can't do that, not even for you. I paid good money for these tools. I can't just let these go without adequate compensation."

_"He does make a good point, I guess,"_ Blizzard said.

_"Yes, but where could we get the money?"_ Bella asked.

"Hmm..." Usopp hummed, thoughtfully before he snapped his fingers, showing that an idea had struck. "Hey! This is a mining town, right?"

"Yeah, says so right in the name," Vaun answered.

"What if we trade you?" Usopp asked. "My tools for some precious jewels!"

"Jewels, eh?" Vaun inquired before scratching his beard. "Hmm...well, I suppose so...that is as long as they have the same value as what I paid, that should be fine."

"You got any ideas, Usopp?" Luffy asked.

"What do you mean?" Usopp asked. "You must have seen it at the top of Topaz Mine, Luffy!"

"You mean the peak of the mountain?" Luffy asked back with a tilt of his head. "Was there something up there?"

"Don't tell me you forgot!" Usopp shouted. "Seriously, Luffy, how dense are you?!"

"The peak of the mine?" Jeanne asked before she gasped. "Wait...you're not serious, are you?! The Marines control all of the mine's resources!"

"Yeah, we heard," Luffy said.

"Back before they showed up, we used to come and go as we pleased," Jeanne said, "but now, the Marines are pretty much patrolling it, day and night. Unless you have permission to go in, they'll arrest you on sight! What if you're caught?"

"Then we just don't worry about 'em!" Luffy proclaimed. "Right, Usopp? Blizzard?"

"Right!" Usopp and Blizzard agreed.

_"Besides, since when do we do what the Marines say?"_ Blizzard asked with a toothy smirk while Jeanne sighed and shook her head.

"I forgot who I was dealing with, here," she bemoaned while Bella gently patted her back with her paw in consolation before she stood up straight. "Well, in that case, Bella and I will go with you guys."

"Sure!" Usopp said...but then he gaped in surprise. "Wait, WHAT?! Uh, I mean...Jeanne, maybe you should and Bella should wait here for us."

"Why?" asked Jeanne with her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Is there something I shouldn't know about?"

Bella growled as she also glared at Usopp, who gulped nervously.

"Uh...well...not per se, but-" Usopp stuttered.

"Then there shouldn't be a problem," Jeanne said.

"Luffy...are you sure about this?" Usopp asked as he looked to Luffy, who smiled.

"Sure!" Luffy replied. "Jeanne's helped me find pretty much everyone else! Why shouldn't we trust her?"

"Well, what if she rats us out to the Marines?" Usopp asked.

_"If she planned to do that, she would've done it, long ago,"_ Blizzard pointed out.

"Well...I guess if you trust her, then there's no reason why I shouldn't," Usopp said. "Sure, Jeanne, you and Bella can come."

"Thank you," Jeanne smiled. "I promise, I won't get in the way."

"So, how do we get in?" Luffy asked. "Just walk through the entrance?"

"Well, I think the guards might be changing shifts, now," said Jeanne, "so we should be able to sneak right in."

"Great! This way, we can find the gemstones much easier!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Shishishi! I smell a treasure hunt!" Luffy grinned.

_"This isn't a game, Luffy, just remember that!"_ Blizzard added.

"Lustrous Scarlet Gems are your best bet," Jeanne said. "You can excavate them for a short amount of time."

_"It really depends on their size, but at least three of those gems should be enough to buy those tools back,"_ Bella added.

"So we need three Lustrous Scarlet Gems," Luffy said. "No problem!"

_"We better do it, quick, before the Marines show up, though,"_ Blizzard said.

"Then let's get a move on!" Usopp said before the group hurried into the mine.

"We'll be back, Mister Vaun!" Jeanne called.

"Be careful!" Vaun called back.

XXX

It wasn't very long before the group entered the mine at the base of the mountain...and when they got inside, they found themselves deep within the mountain caverns, the walls covered in huge crystal stalagmites. Minecarts, scaffolds, and bridges had been built into the rocks and dirt...and all around, Marines marched back and forth.

"Jeanne, I thought you said that they'd be changing shifts...!" Usopp whispered as he peeked around the corner with the others.

"I said the _guards_ changed shifts, not the soldiers!" Jeanne whispered.

_"There sure are a lot of them, too,"_ Bella whispered, worriedly. _"Against five of us, that's not very good odds."_

_"Heh,"_ Blizzard smirked. _"Don't worry. I'll protect you, Bella."_

"Why can't we just beat 'em up?" Luffy asked with a pout. "It'd be a lot easier."

"Because then we'd really be in trouble," Jeanne answered, softly. "They could send reinforcements and then we'd have no way of escaping. Not just that...but the townspeople would be in big trouble, too."

"She's right, Luffy," Usopp agreed. "We better go stealth mode, for now. Once we get those gems, you can go wild as much as you want!"

"Promise?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I promise," Usopp nodded before he looked to Jeanne. "Jeanne, you know these mines better than we do. Where's the best place to look for these gems you mentioned?"

"On the mine's second floor," Jeanne answered. "We have to take Mineshaft 05 to get there. Once we've finished excavating, we'll go through Mineshaft 08 to get to the halfway point."

"Right, then let's get a move on," Usopp said before they began to make their way through the mines, ducking behind crates and barrels and hiding behind rocks when it looked like the Marines might spot them. As they continued to make their way to Mineshaft 05, Usopp cautiously looked around, as he was prone to do...but then, his eyes fell upon a huge shadow on the ground: the shadow of a huge serpent with fangs as long as Zoro's swords, jaws open wide as it prepared to devour its prey. Usopp shrieked as he turned around, causing Luffy, Blizzard, Jeanne, and Bella to turn around with a gasp. However, their alarm was only short-lived, for they soon saw that it was a huge rock formation of a snack with crystals for fangs.

"Oh, phew!" Usopp sighed in relief. "False alarm, guys."

"Don't do that!" Jeanne whispered. "You scared us!"

"Sorry...!" Usopp apologized, sheepishly.

"Whoa, cool!" Luffy exclaimed. "It really does look like a snake!"

_"Usopp, you idiot!"_ Blizzard growled. _"You're the one who said we said we need to sneak around, and the first thing you do is scream!"_

"I said I was sorry!" Usopp argued.

"Hey! Did you hear something?"

"Yeah, I think it came from that way!"

_"The Marines are coming!"_ Bella cried.

"Oh, crap," Usopp cursed.

"Let's go!" Luffy whispered. "Hurry!"

Soon, the quintet hurried into Mineshaft 05, just as a few Marines appeared to search the area...but they found nothing.

"That's strange," muttered one of them. "I could've sworn I heard voices...and dogs barking."

"Maybe it was just your imagination," suggested the other. "I think you've been working too hard."

Up above, Luffy and company managed to make it to the second floor, having evaded the soldiers...for now.

"That was close," Usopp whispered. "Let's just hurry and dig up those gems."

"Where should we dig?" Luffy asked as he looked around.

"Right here should be a good spot," Jeanne said as she pointed to a cluster of crystals in the rocks.

_"I got this,"_ Blizzard said as he began to dig through the dirt and stone, even imbuing his paws with Haki for good measure. As he dug, the wolf-dog kicked up a cloud of dirt, causing the group to cough. _"Sorry!"_

As Blizzard kept digging, he saw suddenly unearthed a cluster of red gemstones, causing Jeanne to gasp as she kneeled down.

"You found them!" she exclaimed.

"All right!" Usopp cheered as he began to help dig them out. "I think these should do it!"

"Wait, how big are they?" asked Jeanne as she went to look...but then, they heard Luffy sniffling and snorting, causing them to look up at him and see him rubbing at his nose.

_"What's the matter, Luffy?"_ Bella asked. _"Are you all right?"_

"Ugh...I think I got...dirt in my nose," Luffy said as he kept sniffing. "Ah...AH...AAAH...!"

_"No, no, don't sneeze!"_ Blizzard begged.

"Stop!" Usopp cried as he held his finger underneath Luffy's nose...and after the Straw Hat Captain sighed in relief, that seemed to have the desired effect...for just 3 seconds.

_**"ACHOO!"**_ Luffy sneezed so loud that it echoed throughout the caverns. "Ah...bless me..."

"Hey!"

The group gasped upon seeing several Marines behind them.

"It's Straw Hat Luffy and two of his crew members!" shouted the Captain in front of them. "Capture them, at once!"

"RUN!" Jeanne yelled, and that's exactly what they did.

"Halt!" shouted the Marine Captain as he and his men gave chase. "Hold it right there! Stop!"

_"They're gaining on us!"_ Bella cried as she looked back. _"What do we do?!"_

Usopp looked around, looking for some way to get the Marines off their tail...and that's when he spotted a huge stalactite hanging from the ceiling above.

"Keep running, guys!" the sniper shouted. "I'll catch up!"

"Are you sure?!" Luffy asked.

"Trust me!" Usopp shouted before he brandished his Black Kabuto and took careful aim while Luffy, Blizzard, Jeanne, and Bella kept running to Mineshaft 08.

"Capture God Usopp!" yelled one of the Marines.

"Rush him!" shouted another as he brandished his cutlass.

"Take...THAT!" Usopp shouted as he fired a shot at the ceiling, causing the Marines to blink in bewilderment at first, but then they began to laugh.

"What kind of aim is that, Slingshot Boy?!" asked the Marine Captain.

"...Perfect," Usopp smirked, and not long after he said this, a rumbling noise suddenly filled the cavern, causing the Marines to look up, only to scream in horror as they realized that Usopp had shot the stalactites up above, causing them all to collapse. The Marines only had a short time to fall back before they could get crushed.

"Whoo-hoo!" Luffy cheered. "Way to go, Usopp!"

"...Amazing...!" Jeanne whispered in awe. "He saw a hairline fracture in the rocks and aimed exactly at that spot so that they would fall!"

"Hey!" Usopp called. "I don't know how long until the Marines find a way around that, so let's get outta here!"

"Oh, right!" Jeanne agreed as they hurried down Mineshaft 08, where they soon broke out in the bright daylight.

_"Ah, sunshine, at last!"_ Bella exclaimed as she basked in the warmth of the sun. _"I always hate going into caves and dark places like that!"_

_"I'm not a fan of them, myself,"_ Blizzard agreed.

"Hey, what about those gems we got?" Luffy asked. "You think that'll be enough to pay back the old man?"

"Uh, let's see," Usopp said as he held up the Lustrous Scarlet Gems...which looked to be the size of strawberries.

"Hmmm..." Jeanne hummed. "Sorry, Usopp, but at this size, these won't cut it."

"What?!" Usopp questioned. "You gotta be kidding!"

"If you want to buy your tools back," Jeanne began, "you're gonna need something a little bit bigger than these."

"Well, we'll go back into the mine and dig up some more," Luffy said.

"That won't work," Jeanne said. "These gems are rare enough as they are. If you really want to get some results, we'll probably have to go to the mountain peak."

"What?!" Usopp questioned. "But...but...!"

"What's wrong?" Jeanne asked as she eyed the sniper, suspiciously. "Why is that whenever I mention the peak, you get so nervous?"

"Yeah, Usopp, what's up there?" Luffy asked.

_"It's probably because THAT thing is there,"_ said Blizzard.

_"What thing?"_ Bella asked.

"Haa..." Usopp sighed in defeat. "Well...I guess it can't be helped. Come on, I'll show you what's on the peak and why I've been so reluctant to let you see it. Follow me!"

XXX

"W...what is THIS?!" Jeanne asked as she found herself gaping at a huge cannon with a star platform underneath it.

"May I present...the Omni-Cannon!" Usopp declared with a bit of a flourish. "It can fire anything into the stratosphere! And I mean _anything!_"

"...Oh, yeah, this thing!" Luffy exclaimed as he finally remembered. "We used this to get into the Sky Prison!"

_"Oh, right..."_ Blizzard groaned. _"This is how we got to the Sky Prison in the first place."_

_"Wait a minute,"_ said Bella. _"You shot yourselves into the Sky Prison with this?!"_

_"Well, it's not like we could sprout wings and fly!"_ Blizzard answered. _"...Well, actually, Jupiter can...and Robin, for a little while."_

"Wait a minute...you can shoot _people_ into the stratosphere with this?!" Jeanne asked.

"Yeah! It's fun!" Luffy replied.

_"Fun for him, maybe..."_ Blizzard muttered.

"Fun, huh?" Jeanne inquired as she looked up at the Omni-Cannon. "Well...I guess it does look like fun...and it looks very well-made!"

_"Jeanne?!"_ Bella questioned in shock.

_"Oh, boy, here we go,"_ Blizzard mumbled. _"Now Luffy put ideas into her head."_

"Hey, Usopp!" said Jeanne. "How far is the cannon's flight path? And what's it made out of? Do you have any blueprints!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Usopp cried. "Stop with the questions! Look, I get that you're curious, but you should talk to Franky about that! He's the one who built the thing!" He then gave her a suspicious glance. "Besides, why are you so interested in it, all of a sudden? You're not gonna rat us out, are you?!"

"Usopp, I told you!" Luffy said. "Jeanne wouldn't do that!"

"He's right," Jeanne confirmed. "Not after I saw how trustworthy you and your crew are."

"Oh...r-really?" Usopp asked in surprise. "I mean...not many people say that about us."

"The reason I ask is that...well..." Jeanne murmured as she held her arm. "I was thinking that...maybe we could use this to fly up to the Sky Islands."

"Wait...what?!" Usopp questioned. "Are you serious?!"

"Sky Islands?!" Luffy asked in excitement. "You mean there are Sky Islands here, too?!"

_"You mean like the one that you guys went too before you guys had Sunny?"_ asked Blizzard.

"I've never been to them, before," Jeanne said, "but I've always thought about it, so-"

"That sounds like a blast!" Luffy exclaimed. "Let's go, now!"

"Hold it, hold it, HOLD IT!" Usopp shouted. "As fun as that sounds, we can do that later!"

"Aww," Luffy pouted.

"Our first priority is finding a big enough gem to get my tools back!" Usopp said. "We'll do that, then head back to town!" He looked to Jeanne. "Jeanne, you know the peak better than I do. Where do you think we can find a sizeable gem that should be of enough value?"

"Follow me," Jeanne said as she led the group to a rock formation that looked like a huge dragon with a spiky crest made of crystals.

"Whoa, cool~!" Luffy exclaimed.

_"I noticed that animal rock formations seem to be a theme here on this island,"_ said Blizzard.

_"I don't exactly know the mystery behind them,"_ Bella said, _"but they're great to look at, don't you think?"_

"All right!" Usopp exclaimed. "Let's hurry and dig out the biggest gem we can find!"

"Not too big," Jeanne said. "We need to be able to carry it back, after all." She then held up her hands at least 5 inches apart from each other. "This big ought to do it!"

"Blizzard, do your thing!" Luffy said, prompting the wolf-dog to start digging at the spot that was pointed to. At first, he didn't seem to find anything, but he kept digging deeper and deeper into the ground until half his body was underground.

"Find anything yet?!" Usopp called as he looked into the hole.

_"No, not yet!"_ Blizzard answered...that is until the heard a thump. _"Oh, wait! I think I did find something!"_ He then pulled himself out of the hole, and in his mouth was a grapefruit-sized Lustrous Scarlet Gem.

"Whoa! Look at the size of that thing!" Luffy exclaimed.

"It's perfect!" Jeanne said.

_"Not bad, Blizzard!"_ Bella praised with a wagging tail, causing Blizzard to blush.

"Haha!" Usopp laughed as he took the gem into his hands. "With this baby, I can finally get my tools back!"

"We better hurry, though," said Jeanne. "The Marines also guard this part of the mountain, and if they see us-"

"Hey, you!"

"Too late," Jeanne muttered with dread as she and the others turned to see the same Marines from earlier.

"We've got you, this time!" shouted the Marine Captain. "You won't escape so easily!"

"Usopp!" Luffy called.

"Already on it!" Usopp said as he held up his Black Kabuto, as well as a few Pop Greens. "These should do the trick..."

"Get them, men!" shouted the Marine Captain. "Take their heads!"

"Certain Death: Green Star! SHARK ARROW DEVILS!" Usopp yelled as he fired the Pop Greens into the ground, right in front of the Marines, and not long after, huge Devil Flytraps sprouted from the ground and began to capture them in their jaws!

"W-what are those?!" Jeanne questioned as Luffy pulled her onto Blizzard's back.

"We'll explain on the way!" Usopp shouted as he hopped on, too. "Run! Back to town!"

_"Come on, Bella!"_ Blizzard called as he ran off.

_"I'm coming!"_ Bella said as she followed him.

"WAIT! COME BACK!" the Marine Captain shouted. "DAMN YOU, STRAW HATS!"

XXX

"Hey, Pops! We're back!"

Vaun turned to see Luffy and company walking up to him...with Usopp holding the large gem in his hand.

"Whoa!" Vaun exclaimed in disbelief. "You actually got it! I can't believe it..."

"What's so hard to believe?" Usopp asked.

"Well..." Vaun said before he sighed. "I'll admit it...when I found out you were a pirate, I didn't trust a word you said. I thought you were trying to pull the rug from under me and steal these tools."

"Well, we did make a promise!" Luffy said. "We found a jewel big enough to make a trade!"

"That's true," said Vaun. "I did say that, didn't I?"

"Well, Mister Vaun?" Jeanne asked. "I hope you're not planning on going on your word."

"She's right, Dad," said Pomme as he walked up to his father. "And I think these guys really are trustworthy."

Vaun paused for a moment, contemplating whether or not to hold his end of the bargain...then gave a sigh of resignation.

"You're right," he said. "I did make a promise, didn't I?" He then handed Usopp a toolbox. "Here you go. Sorry for suspecting the worst of you."

"My tools!" Usopp exclaimed as he opened the toolbox. "And they're all still here!" He sighed as he held the precious box. "My sweet, sweet babies! Welcome back to Daddy!"

"Shishishishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Thanks, Pops!"

"Ah, forget about it," Vaun replied.

"Luffy, Blizzard, Jeanne, and Bella?" Usopp asked. "Thanks a lot for helping me. Couldn't have gotten my tools back without your help!"

"You know we got your back, Usopp," Luffy smiled.

"Now that that's taken care of," Usopp said, "I better head back to the _Sunny_ and help Franky with any repairs!"

_"You do that,"_ Blizzard said. _"We still have some searching to do."_

"I'll take Usopp back to Amber Harbor with me," said Jeanne. "Luffy, if I hear a tip about any more of your crew members, I'll be sure to tell you!"

"Thanks, Jeanne!" Luffy said before he and Usopp gave each other a high-five. "See ya later, Usopp."

"See ya, Luffy," Usopp replied as he followed Jeanne and Bella to Amber Harbor.

_"All right then," _Blizzard said. _"So far, 11 of us have been, myself included...and now there's only one of us left: Brook!"_

"Then let's go find him!" Luffy exclaimed. "He should be somewhere around the island! Let's go explore some more!"

* * *

Just because Wano isn't finished doesn't mean I've completely ditched One Piece. I realize I can do other One Piece fics. I'm just waiting until Wano is done.

Review, please!


	12. Ch 6- Straw Hats Reunited, Part 6

**Ch. 6- Straw Hats Reunited**

**Part 6- Ghost Identity**

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One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Jupiter, Lucky, and Bella © Me

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_"Jeez...the sun's getting ready to go down and we still haven't found any clue about where Brook might be."_

"I know. I hope we find him in time for dinner."

_"...Seriously, Luffy, is that ALL you think about?"_

"No! ...Okay, maybe sometimes."

Blizzard sighed as he and Luffy walked through the streets of Sapphire Town, hoping to find a lead on the very last Straw Hat they needed to find: Brook. So far, though, they hadn't heard or found any clues. When Luffy asked around about a skeleton wearing some funny clothes and glasses, all he got were some strange looks.

Nonetheless, they didn't give up on their search...even though Luffy was starting to get hungry, again, but that was nothing new.

"You'd think a walking, talking skeleton would stick out more, huh?" Luffy asked.

_"He's here, somewhere, I'm sure,"_ said Blizzard as he looked around. _"I'm just not exactly sure where...and it's hard to tell where his scent might be."_

"And we can't really ask around since people don't know what exactly we're talking about," Luffy added as they walked by, but as they did, they noticed a young man with dark green hair and glasses, and he was wearing a rather fancy green suit...but for some reason, he seemed troubled by something. "Ooh, hey! Let's ask that guy!"

Soon, the Straw Hat Captain and guard dog walked up to the young man, who hadn't noticed them due to them having his back turned.

"Hmm..." he hummed. "I hope Jeanne and Bella will be all right."

"What's that about Jeanne?" Luffy asked, causing the young man to shriek as he turned around, only to sigh in relief as he placed a hand to his chest in order to calm his rapidly beating heart.

"Don't just sneak up on me like that!" he cried. "I thought you were a ghost!"

"Hahahaha!" Luffy laughed. "Sorry about that, man."

"Whatever..." the young man replied. "The name's Fred...you a friend of Jeanne?"

"Yeah, we are," Luffy replied.

"Then I suggest you go and find her, pronto," said Fred. "She heard that everyone's been too scared to go to the graveyard because they think it's haunted by a ghost, so she went to check it out, herself."

"A ghost?!" Luffy repeated in excitement. "Sweet!"

_"Don't be ridiculous, Luffy, there are no such things as ghosts!"_ said Blizzard.

"What about the ones on Thriller Bark?" Luffy countered.

_"Those don't count,"_ Blizzard retorted.

"Uh...excuse me?" Fred asked. "Are you having a conversation...with your _dog?_"

"Right, not important," said Luffy. "Now, is there really a ghost at the graveyard?"

"Well, it's just a rumor," said Fred. "You should really go and see for yourself."

"Right!" Luffy exclaimed. "Come on, Blizzard! Let's go to the graveyard!" He paused. "...Where is the graveyard?"

"It's just west from here," answered Fred. "You'll know when you see it. Good luck!"

"Thanks, man!" Luffy said as he hopped onto Blizzard's back, and soon, the wolf-dog ran as fast as he could, heading toward the graveyard.

XXX

"I...it's okay, Jeanne..." Jeanne whispered to herself as she stood at the far end of the bridge. "There's no way there's a ghost over in the graveyard. It's just a silly rumor-"

"Jeanne?"

"AAH!" Jeanne shrieked while Bella yowled in fright and jumped into her arms.

"Whoa, whoa, easy, Jeanne! It's just us!"

"Huh?" Jeanne muttered as she turned around to see Luffy and Blizzard approaching them. "Oh! Luffy, it's only you and Blizzard. Don't you know better than to go to sneaking up on someone like that?"

_"Yeah, you almost scared the life out of us!"_ Bella added as Jeanne put her down on the ground.

_"Sorry about that,"_ Blizzard replied. _"We just thought that we'd come and help."_

"Yeah, we heard you were looking for a ghost," Luffy answered, "but if you're that jumpy, I don't know how you plan on getting rid of it. Shishishi!"

"Hmph!" Jeanne pouted. "Well, I didn't see anybody else trying to do something. Besides, I come here a lot, anyway...what about you, Luffy? What's your reason for trying to find this 'ghost'?"

"I'm hoping to have the ghost to join my crew!" Luffy grinned.

_"What?!"_ Bella questioned while Jeanne gasped. _"Is he kidding?!"_

_"Sadly, no,"_ Blizzard muttered in annoyance.

"...Okay, then," Jeanne said, slightly worried before she sighed. "Anyway, I am glad you two showed up. Will you two help me?"

"Sure thing!" Luffy replied. "You scratch my back, I scratch yours, right? Shishishi!"

"Great," Jeanne smiled. "People have been saying that they saw the ghost running across the pond. You'll find it to the left of the graveyard."

"Sweet!" Luffy said as he climbed up onto Blizzard's back again. "We'll head there!"

"Be careful, you guys!" Jeanne said as the pair soon headed across the bridge...but as they did, they soon found the many tombstones that embedded the ground, all of them bearing many names. Some flowers had been left behind on a few of them, as well, showing that someone had been here, recently.

_"Whoa...look at all these graves,"_ said Blizzard, somberly.

"Yeah," Luffy said as he rubbed his arms. "Actually gives me the creeps a little bit."

_"A lot of these graves don't even look very old,"_ Blizzard pointed out. _"I wonder what happened?"_

"Let's just hurry up and find that ghost," Luffy replied. "Who knows? Maybe it knows where Brook is!"

_"Even if there was a ghost, I doubt it would tell us where Brook is,"_ Blizzard replied as they headed off toward the pond that was adjacent to the graveyard...but they saw that the pond was rather large, even for a pond. In fact, it looked more like a lake, and it also looked rather deep.

_"Oh, boy..."_ Blizzard muttered as he looked down. _"When Jeanne said pond, I thought she meant like a little pool of water with little frogs and lily pads...not a lake!"_

"Ooh, look!" Luffy said as he pointed across the water at three figures standing on a hill. "I see someone over there! Maybe it's the ghost!"

Blizzard rolled his eyes before he looked at the water. _"I'm gonna have to swim to the other side. Just hold onto me, okay, Luffy?"_

"Got it!" Luffy replied as he grabbed onto Blizzard's scarf tightly as the wolf-dog soon jumped into the lake-sized pond.

XXX

"Did either of you see it?!"

"No! Did you?!"

"I don't know! I was too busy being scared!"

It was revealed that ones standing on the other side of the pond were three pirates, two scrawny guys with machine guns strapped to their backs, and a burly one with his hair styled to look like a daikon radish.

"Phew!" sighed the biggest one. "Man, that was close. I thought we were done for when we saw that...that...whatever it was!"

"Aww, you guys aren't ghosts! What a letdown!"

"GYAAAAH!" the pirates shrieked as they turned to see Luffy and Blizzard standing behind them, both of them looking rather soaked.

_"See, Luffy?"_ Blizzard asked. _"I told you there are no such things as ghosts."_

"Hey, you punk!" shouted one of the lankier pirates. "Aren't you gonna apologize for scaring me?!"

"Uh...why?" Luffy asked.

"Why you little...!" growled the burlier pirate. "If you wanna see a ghost, that badly, we'll turn you and the mutt into one, right now!"

Blizzard growled viciously as he glared at the pirates as they charged with their weapons brandished before he charged right back at them...and with no effort at all, he bashed into them like a battering ram and sent them all flying into the water.

"AAAAH!" the pirates screamed as they hit the water with a splash.

_"Have a nice swim, chumps!"_ the wolf-dog grinned.

"So the ghost was actually a bunch of pirates, huh?" Luffy asked. "Better go back and tell Jeanne."

_"Sorry you didn't find your ghost,"_ said Blizzard as he let Luffy climb onto his back, again. _"At least we took care of the problem, though."_

"That's true," Luffy said as Blizzard took off running. "We still didn't find out where Brook is, though."

_"That's true,"_ Blizzard mused. _"I wonder where he could be."_

Soon, the two made it back to Jeanne and Bella, who were standing in front of the monolith in the graveyard.

"Well?" Jeanne asked. "Was it really...a ghost, Luffy?"

"Nope," Luffy answered. "Just pirates...which sucked, by the way."

"So, it wasn't a ghost after all," Jeanne said, relieved. "Thank goodness...although, how were they able to run across water? That's actually pretty incredible..."

"Search me," Luffy shrugged.

_"...Wait a second,"_ Blizzard realized. _"Luffy...who do we know that can run on water?"_

"Uhh..." Luffy muttered. "Oh! I know! It's Brook! Brook must've been the one running across the pond!"

"Who's Brook?" Jeanne asked.

"Did someone say my name?"

"AAAAH!" Jeanne and Bella both shrieked as they turned around...and that's when they saw someone come out from behind the monolith, and it was soon revealed that it was none other than Brook, who politely bowed his head and tipped his hat.

"Yohoho!" Brook chortled. "Greetings!"

"AAH! A GHOST!" Jeanne screamed as she hid behind Luffy.

_"It is real!"_ Bella cried as she hid behind Blizzard.

"Brook! It's you!" Luffy exclaimed, happily.

"Why, Luffy! Blizzard!" Brook said. "So good to see you both! Not that I have eyes to see with. Yohohoho!"

"Wait...you know him?" Jeanne asked.

"Sure we do!" Luffy answered. "Brook's our musician!"

"A pleasure to meet you, miss," Brook said with a gracious bow. "My name is Brook. Dead-Bones Brook, a man who ate the Revive-Revive Fruit and came back as a skeleton, as you can clearly see."

"I-I see," Jeanne said before she smiled. "It's very nice to meet you, Brook."

"As a sign of our new friendship," Brook began, "would you be so kind as to show me your panties?"

"What?!" Jeanne questioned while Blizzard groaned.

_"Who in the world would ask someone that?!"_ Bella asked.

_"Only Brook would,"_ Blizzard answered while Luffy held his stomach in laughter.

"Same old Brook!" Luffy said.

"Your friend is a bit of a pervert, don't you think, Luffy?" Jeanne asked.

"He doesn't mean any harm," Luffy said. "Besides, any girl he asks ends up kicking him, anyway!"

"How harsh..." Brook bemoaned.

"Anyway," Luffy said, "Brook, what are you doing around here?"

"Ah, yes," Brook replied. "Well, after our harrowing escape from the Sky Prison, I wandered aimlessly about the island, trying to find the others...and when I tried to ask for help from the locals, they would shriek in fright and run from me as if I were the Devil himself!"

_"What a shock..."_ Blizzard said, sarcastically.

"So, I came here to lie low for a little bit," Brook concluded.

"So that's it," Jeanne said. "You only came here to hide out for a little while...well, aside from you asking to see my underwear, you don't seem like a very bad person, Brook."

_"Yeah, I'll let the panties thing slide...for now,"_ said Bella.

"I'm Jeanne, by the way," Jeanne said with a polite bow of greeting. "I'm sorry for my rudeness, Brook. I'll be sure to tell the islanders about you so they won't be scared. Your friends are waiting for you back at your ship, so we'll take you back to Amber Harbor."

"I do appreciate your kindness," Brook replied. "I'll never forget this for as long as I live...even though I'm already dead! Yohohohoho!"

_"Well, Brook was the last one that needed to be found,"_ said Blizzard.

"Yeah," Luffy replied. "Now we can go back to the _Sunny_ and have dinner. I'm starved!"

"Wait a minute, Luffy," said Jeanne. "Before we go, there's someone I wanna visit first."

"Really?" Luffy asked. "Who?"

"...She's right here," Jeanne answered before she walked over to a grave that was covered in many, many flowers, all of them having been laid here recently. That's when Jeanne pulled out a bouquet of flowers of her own and gently placed them in front of the tombstone while Luffy, Blizzard, Brook, and Bella all watched.

"Jeanne?" Luffy asked. "Whose grave is this?"

"...It belonged to the island's previous leader, Dahlia," said Jeanne. "She was...my Mom. I come here often to talk to her."

"...Oh," Luffy said as he went over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry about that, Jeanne...my Mom's gone, too."

"Oh, Luffy," Jeanne said in concern.

"It's okay," Luffy assured. "I know she's still watching over me."

"A pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Brook said as he bowed to the grave. "My apologies if I have disturbed your rest."

"...Hey, Mom," Jeanne said to the grave. "It's me, again...everyone on the island is doing...well...not so great." She then sighed heavily. "No matter how hard I try, it's like everything's getting worse, day by day..." She then made a determined expression. "But you don't have to worry about a thing, Mom. I don't know how much I can do on my own...but I know there is something I can do!"

"Hey, who says you gotta do it alone?" asked Luffy. "Can't you just ask your friends to help you?"

"Everyone else already has their own problems to deal with," Jeanne replied. "I can't bother them with every little problem I have." She clenched her fist tightly and held it to her heart.

"I swear," she proclaimed, "that I'll protect everyone on this island, just like my Mother did!"

No one said anything, not even Luffy, who just stared at Jeanne with this silent intensity.

"Phew!" Jeanne sighed before she smiled. "Well, I said what I needed to say. Thanks for being here with me, Luffy, Blizzard, Brook."

"Of course!" Brook replied. "I was honored to pay my respects."

"Me, too!" Luffy grinned.

_"Same here,"_ Blizzard said while Bella barked and licked Jeanne's face, causing her to laugh.

"Of course, you, too, Bella!" Jeanne said as she pet her dog lovingly. "Thank you."

_"You know I'll always help you, Jeanne,"_ Bella said with her tail wagging happily.

"Now that we've found Brook, can we PLEASE go back to the ship?" Luffy asked as his stomach began to growl. "My tummy could really use some meat!"

Jeanne, Blizzard, Brook, and Bella could only laugh.

"Oh, Luffy," she said before they all began to head to Amber Harbor.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

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And that's the end of Chapter 6!

Also, be on the lookout for the next chapter of The Fire Within. That one's gonna be coming sometime this month.

Review, please!


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